DD Sports is the cricket channel of Doordarshan, India’s public broadcaster. Under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007, Doordarshan receives a clean feed from rights-holders for any cricket event of “national importance” involving the Indian men’s team — and broadcasts those matches free-to-air on terrestrial television and DD Free Dish.
For viewers without a JioHotstar or Star Sports subscription, DD Sports is the only legal route to selected India men’s matches and ICC events. The catch: only one feed, no commentary frills, and not every match in every series.
Where to watch DD Sports
| Surface | How |
|---|---|
| Terrestrial TV | DD Sports broadcasts on Doordarshan’s terrestrial signal — no subscription needed, basic antenna covers it |
| DD Free Dish | Free public DTH — one-time set-top-box cost (₹1,500–2,000), no monthly fee, 100+ channels including DD Sports |
| DD Sports app | Android + iOS app, live stream, free |
| Cable TV (selected operators) | Carried on most basic cable packs |
What’s on DD Sports — cricket calendar 2026
Confirmed under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act:
- ICC Champions Trophy 2026 — India matches plus semi-finals and final (expected)
- ICC T20 World Cup 2026 — India matches plus semi-finals and final (expected)
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 — India matches (expected)
- England tour of India 2026 — selected Tests, ODIs and T20Is involving India
- Australia vs India ODI series — India matches at home (when scheduled)
- Selected India men’s home bilateral series — varies by tour
Not on DD Sports:
- IPL 2026 — privately-run franchise league, not mandated
- PSL, BBL, The Hundred, CPL — non-Indian leagues
- WTC cycle Test matches not designated “national importance”
- India men’s away tours where the host broadcaster’s clean feed is not shared
Pan-region availability
DD Sports is India-only. The DD Free Dish platform is the public broadcaster’s free DTH service.
Series schedule
Cricket schedule — legal broadcasters by country
Pan-region rights split. Times and channels confirmed against official broadcaster releases; tour windows may shift — check the rights-holder app for kick-off the day of play.
| Series | Format | Window | Teams | India (legal) | Pakistan (legal) | UK (legal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Champions Trophy 2026 | ODI | Feb 2026 | 8 nations (TBC host: Pakistan) | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV | Sky Sports Cricket |
| IPL 2026 | T20 league | Mar–May 2026 | 10 franchises | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed (PEMRA blackout) | Sky Sports Cricket |
| PSL 2026 | T20 league | Apr–May 2026 | 6 franchises | Sony Sports (subject to confirmation) | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV / A Sports | Sky Sports / Willow TV |
| Indian Premier League final & playoffs | T20 knockout | May 2026 | Top-4 IPL | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed | Sky Sports Cricket |
| England tour of India | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jan–Feb 2026 | India vs England | Star Sports + JioHotstar | PTV / Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket / TNT Sports |
| Australia vs India ODI series | ODI | Oct–Nov 2026 (tentative) | India vs Australia | Sony Sports / JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup | Feb–Mar 2026 (India + Sri Lanka hosts) | 20 nations | Star Sports + JioHotstar + DD Sports (selected) | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| BBL 2025/26 finals | T20 league knockout | Feb 2026 | Top-5 BBL | Sony Sports | Sony Sports (selected) | BT Sport / TNT Sports |
| The Hundred 2026 | 100-ball league | Aug 2026 | 8 franchises | Sony Sports (TBC) | TBC | Sky Sports + BBC (selected) |
| CPL 2026 | T20 league | Aug–Sep 2026 | 6 franchises | FanCode / Star Sports | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports / FanCode |
| ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup (Women) | Jun 2026 (England host) | 10 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV | Sky Sports + BBC |
| Asia Cup 2026 | T20 / ODI (TBC) | Sep 2026 | 6 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports |
| WTC 2025–27 cycle: India tests | Test | Through Jun 2027 | India + opponents | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| Sri Lanka tour of Australia | ODI + T20I | Feb 2026 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | FanCode | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports (selected) |
| Pakistan vs Bangladesh ODI series | ODI | Apr 2026 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Ten Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports (selected) |
Smartcric Guide is editorial only — we do not host, embed or link to unauthorised streams. Match access is via the licensed broadcaster apps listed above.
How to watch
- For viewers with a basic TV antenna, DD Sports is already accessible on Doordarshan’s terrestrial signal — no purchase required beyond the antenna.
- For viewers without an antenna, the DD Free Dish set-top-box is a one-time ~₹2,000 investment with no monthly fee. Available from most local electronics retailers and Doordarshan’s own distribution centres.
- For mobile viewers, the DD Sports app on Android and iOS carries the live feed free — useful when away from a TV during a match window.
DD Sports is the cleanest free legal cricket option in India for the matches it covers — for everything outside that mandate (IPL especially), JioHotstar or Star Sports remain the legal route. Smartcric Guide: editorial only, [email protected].