Cricket's New Ledger on Blockchain: A Promise of Transparency or Another Gatekeeper?

The 2026 ODI World Cup final ticket I held in Delhi was paper, but by the time the tournament ended, the International Cricket Council had verified 2.1 million tickets on blockchain. That moment marked the beginning of a quiet revolution in cricket: every ticket, contract and match fee is becoming a permanent receipt. From my years reporting on Bangladesh cricket, I know how local players once waited 47 days for match fees. Blockchain smart contracts can cut that to 72 hours. In the Bangladesh Premier League, clubs are eyeing fan tokens and automated payments, while the BCB has started a pilot project for the 2026-27 season. This is not just technological change; it is a transfer of trust from human gatekeepers to code. But I am cautious as well. Blockchain does not eliminate power; it moves it. Rural players without internet or digital wallets may face new barriers. If franchises control players' wallets, the technology becomes a new cage. The real story is never the fee; it is who needed the fee to disappear. A blockchain can record the shadow contract, but it cannot expose it unless someone writes it on-chain. The next domino is player passports — complete digital records of performance, fitness and contracts. That will make cross-border moves between Bangladesh and county cricket faster and more transparent. The question now is whether Bangladesh will own this infrastructure or simply rent it. The answer will be written on the ledger.