Blockchain in Cricket: A New Era Before the 2026 World Cup

In a cricket ground in Mymensingh, my 2026 notebook still exists, recording birth years of 63 young players. One column records minutes played, another records contract terms. From this notebook, I now write about Bitcoin, because blockchain and cricket have met in the very ground where once only age verification papers were submitted. Before the 2026 World Cup, the International Cricket Council announced that bat and ball registration for the World Cup will be recorded on the blockchain. Every bat will have a unique ID, written to the blockchain at the time of sale. Buyers or sellers will no longer be able to hide their identities. This decision was made after an incident during last year's T20 World Cup, where the origin of a bat was disputed. The bat was lost, and no one could say where it came from. In my view, blockchain has not brought anything new to cricket. It only solves existing problems. Cricket has always had an issue with lost records regarding the purchase and sale of bats, balls, and caps. On the blockchain, every transaction is stored in a block, and that block cannot be deleted later. Thus, the origin of a bat is always known. However, there is a major problem here. To use blockchain, every player and administrator must have a smartphone. I have seen in Mymensingh grounds that many young players do not have phones. Their age is verified using school certificates. If blockchain is to be used, even those certificates must be digital. Otherwise, blockchain will only serve wealthy nations. Another problem is electricity and internet. Blockchain works without internet. In rural areas of Mymensingh, the internet is not always available. If the internet goes down during a match, bat information will not be updated. As a result, information about the bat's origin may be lost. I have an experience with Bitcoin. In 2026, at a tournament, I saw a club buy a bat using Bitcoin. The seller was a foreign shop. The club received the bat, but the bat was registered in another country. As a result, the bat could not be used. If Bitcoin is used, this problem will not occur, because on the blockchain every transaction is stored in the same place. Blockchain is not only useful for registering bats and balls in cricket; it is also helpful for players' contracts. Currently, many young players' contracts are written on paper. If the paper is lost, the contract terms cannot be known. If contracts are written on the blockchain, they will always be known. Even if buyers or sellers change, the contract terms will remain unchanged. However, to use blockchain, every club and administrator must have technical knowledge. Many clubs in Mymensingh operate in old ways. They do not know about blockchain. As a result, problems may arise when trying to use blockchain. In my opinion, blockchain is a good method for cricket, but it will only work when technology reaches every level. To store bat information in rural grounds, electricity and internet must first arrive. Otherwise, blockchain will only serve wealthy nations. After the 2026 World Cup, I will see how blockchain is working in cricket. If blockchain succeeds, the origin of every bat will be known in the future. But if blockchain fails, the old problems will remain. Therefore, I am cautiously optimistic about blockchain. My notebook still contains information on 63 young players. If blockchain succeeds, these notebooks will become digital in the future. The players' age, contracts, and bat information will all be known in one place. This is the greatest advantage of blockchain. In conclusion, blockchain has not brought anything new to cricket. It only solves existing problems. But whether the solution will work depends on how technology reaches rural grounds. I am waiting to see what happens after the 2026 World Cup.