July 24, 2022: Leading sports technology company Dream Sports  will help New Zealand Cricket (NZC) build  a  comprehensive suite of digital fan engagement products as part of a  five-year deal.
The partnership will create unique, fan-focused avenues across Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Gaming and Merchandising through Dream Sports’ portfolio.
Dream Sports’ flagship brand Dream11 has been NZC’s Official Fantasy Sports Partner since 2019. The uptick witnessed in fan engagement over the years, including Dream11's Title Sponsorship of the Dream11 Super Smash, has led to the new partnership.
This gateway to the 140 million-strong user-base of Dream Sports in India will be instrumental in building a successful suite for NZC, including its debut in cricket NFTs - to be developed by Rario, creators of the world’s first cricket NFT platform
 Rario is the latest addition to the Dream Sports portfolio after it led a $120M Series A round last month through its CVC and M&A arm Dream Capital. It has the largest share of cricket NFT rights globally and, with access to 140 million users of Dream Sports, is set to become the world’s largest cricket NFT platform.Rario will launch NZC's cricket NFT program and enable cricket fans to engage as a community, and own a piece of NZC cricket history through digital collectibles across player cards, video moments, and cricket artifacts; with FIAT-only products offered in India. Additionally, a next-generation mobile game will be built by Dream Sports’ game development arm - Dream Game Studios, and a complete sports merchandise range, to be hosted on its premier sports content and commerce platform - FanCode in India. 
Said NZC chief executive David White:  “One of NZC’s key goals is to extend our teams’ global reach; to build closer relationships around the world, and to develop new ways for fans to engage and connect with the deep history of our sport. We’re delighted to be aligning with Dream Sports that is right at the forefront of the industry: innovative, go-ahead and well-known for putting fans and subscribers first.”
The new partnership with Dream Sports represented an exciting step into the metaverse for his organisation, he added
Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream Sports said, “We are excited about the next big leap in our association with New Zealand Cricket, and look forward to exploring its full potential for fan engagement through the Dream Sports portfolio.The first-of-its-kind collaboration will enable deeper engagement opportunities for sports fans through newer avenues like NFTs, Gaming and Merchandising, in a phased manner; and lead by example in keeping fans central to the sport.” 
Founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports’ mission is to ‘Make Sports Better’ for fans through the confluence of sports and technology. Some of the current exclusive partners include the Tata IPL, ICC, BCCI, Cricket Australia, The Hundred, La Liga Santander, and Vivo Pro Kabaddi League.