If you've typed "espncricinfo" into Google out of habit for the last fifteen years, you'll need to start unlearning that. The world's biggest cricket website just went through its fourth name change in 33 years, and this time it's going backwards — straight back to where it started.
Here's everything that changed, every name the site has carried, and the actual reasons behind this latest switch.
What Just Happened
JioStar, the Reliance-Disney joint venture that now controls cricket broadcasting and digital rights in India, announced that ESPNcricinfo is being rebranded as Cricinfo. The site will live at cricinfo.com, and the apps are already showing up under just "Cricinfo" on the App Store and Google Play.
If you've bookmarked espncricinfo.com or click an old link, don't worry — it still redirects you to the same site automatically. Nothing about the content, the editorial team, or StatsGuru has changed. Just the name on the door.
The Full Timeline: Every Name Cricinfo Has Had
| Year | Name | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Cricinfo | Founded by Simon King, a British researcher at the University of Minnesota, as a way to share cricket scores online before the internet looked anything like it does today |
| 2002 | Wisden Cricinfo | Acquired by the Wisden Group, publishers of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack |
| 2007 | ESPNcricinfo | Wisden Group broke up and sold the site to ESPN (jointly owned by Disney and Hearst) |
| 2026 | Cricinfo (again) | JioStar drops the ESPN branding following the Reliance-Disney merger in India |
So technically, this isn't a new identity at all — it's the site returning to its original name after 19 years under the ESPN banner.
Why Did They Actually Change It?
There are really two layers to this: the corporate reason and the editorial reason.
1. The Reliance-Disney Merger
The real trigger here is business, not branding nostalgia. Reliance Industries and Disney completed a merger of their India operations back in November 2024, and that deal created JioStar — the entity that now owns the cricket digital rights that used to sit with ESPN's Star Sports/Disney+ Hotstar setup in India. As part of unwinding the old ESPN association and folding everything into the JioStar ecosystem, dropping "ESPN" from the masthead was a natural, almost inevitable step in that operational transition.
2. Everyone Already Called It "Cricinfo" Anyway
Editor-in-chief Sambit Bal gave the more personal reason in his announcement piece. While gathering tributes from former players and commentators — names like Ian Bishop, Faf du Plessis, Dale Steyn, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, and Aakash Chopra — he noticed something: every single one of them referred to the site simply as "Cricinfo." Not ESPNcricinfo. Just Cricinfo. That informal, organic naming habit from the cricket community itself reinforced the decision to go back to the original brand.
Bal's own framing of the brand's journey is worth knowing: the site went from Cricinfo to Wisdencricinfo, then spent nearly two decades as ESPNcricinfo, and is now returning to where it began.
3. Setting Up for "The Next Phase"
JioStar has also framed this as more than a name swap — it's being positioned as the start of a new product phase, with AI-powered tools for storytelling and coverage reportedly on the roadmap, alongside the redesign and performance improvements (faster score delivery, lighter page loads) that quietly rolled out on the site in recent months.
Wait, Who Is JioStar?
If you've been out of the loop on Indian sports media, JioStar is the name worth remembering. It's the joint venture formed after Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company merged their media operations in India in November 2024, combining Disney's Star Sports and Hotstar businesses with Reliance's Viacom18 and JioCinema. That merger made JioStar the single biggest player in Indian sports broadcasting and streaming, controlling cricket rights across TV and digital. ESPNcricinfo's rename to Cricinfo is one of the visible, public-facing results of that merger finally being implemented — expect more ESPN-branded properties in India to see similar changes as the transition continues.
What Actually Changes for Fans
Practically speaking — almost nothing changes for you as a reader:
- URL: cricinfo.com is now primary; espncricinfo.com still redirects automatically
- Apps: search "Cricinfo" instead of "ESPNcricinfo" on the App Store / Play Store going forward
- Content & team: same editorial staff, same StatsGuru database, same live scores and commentary
- Logo: updated masthead, dropping the ESPN branding element
Why This Matters for Cricket Fans (and Content Creators)
For long-time fans, this closes a loop that's been thirty-three years in the making — the platform that started as a grassroots, fan-run scoreboard service before the modern internet existed is, in name at least, exactly what it was when it launched in 1993.
For anyone tracking cricket media in India right now, this is also a small but visible signal of how fast the JioStar consolidation is reshaping the digital cricket landscape post-merger — worth watching for further rebranding moves as Disney's old India sports assets get folded fully into the Reliance-backed ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ESPNcricinfo shutting down? No. The website and apps are continuing exactly as before — only the name and branding have changed, from ESPNcricinfo back to Cricinfo. Content, editorial team, and features remain the same.
Will my old ESPNcricinfo links and bookmarks still work? Yes. Typing espncricinfo.com or clicking any old bookmark or link will automatically redirect you to the same site, now live at cricinfo.com.
Do I need to download a new app? If you already have the ESPNcricinfo app installed, it will update to reflect the new branding. If you're searching fresh on the App Store or Google Play, search for "Cricinfo" instead.
Why did they drop the ESPN name specifically? It's tied to the 2024 Reliance-Disney merger in India, which created JioStar and moved cricket digital rights out of the old ESPN/Disney structure. Dropping "ESPN" from the masthead is part of that broader operational transition, alongside the editorial team's own observation that fans and players already called the site "Cricinfo" anyway.
Is this related to IPL or other tournament rights? The rebrand itself is about the website's name and identity, not tournament broadcasting rights specifically — but it reflects the same JioStar consolidation that now covers most major cricket broadcasting and streaming in India.
Got questions about the rebrand or noticing something different on the redesigned site? Drop a comment below — we'll keep this updated as JioStar rolls out more changes.