Short answer: if your household wants cricket and Indian entertainment, the cheapest licensed setup in the US is usually one Sling Desi pack that already includes Willow, not Willow plus a separate Indian service. In 2025 Sling listed Desi Binge Plus (Hindi) at $15 a month and Dakshin Flex (South Indian) at $10, both with Willow HD bundled. Standalone Willow is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. The catch: when two series overlap, Willow pushes one onto its second channel, Willow Xtra, so check your bundle carries both before a busy month.
At a glance
Cricket + Indian TV in the US
| Who has US cricket rights | Willow: IPL, ICC events, most internationals |
| Hindi + cricket in one bill | Sling Desi Binge Plus, $15/month (2025) |
| South Indian + cricket | Sling Dakshin Flex, $10/month (2025) |
| Cricket only | Willow, $79.99/year |
| IPL evening games | About 10 a.m. Eastern |
| Check before a big series | Is Willow Xtra included? |
The real question: who holds the cricket?
Every cricket conversation in the US comes back to one name. Willow, owned by the Cricbuzz group, holds US rights to the Indian Premier League, ICC tournaments such as the World Cups and Champions Trophy, Major League Cricket and the home internationals of most major cricket nations. India's own home series are the one area to double-check, because their overseas rights are sold separately and have moved between companies.
That matters for setup. You don't need a special "cricket IPTV". You need Willow, delivered one of three ways: as its own app, as a channel inside a South Asian pack, or through a TV provider you already pay. The art is buying it once, alongside the Indian channels the rest of the family wants. Our cricket in the USA guide covers what Willow shows in more detail.
Four licensed setups, costed
Yearly costs below use each service's published prices at the dates shown. Promotions change them, but the ranking between setups rarely moves.
| Setup | Cricket | Entertainment | Approx. per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Sling Desi Binge Plus | Willow HD bundled | Live Hindi channels, SonyLIV, Disney Star on demand | About $180 ($15/month, 2025) |
| B. Sling Dakshin Flex | Willow HD bundled | Star Vijay, Star Maa, Asianet | About $120 ($10/month, 2025) |
| C. Willow annual + ZEE5 | Willow and Willow Xtra | Zee serials on demand | $79.99 plus ZEE5's US price |
| D. Willow annual only | Everything Willow has | None | $79.99 |
Setup A is the default for Hindi-speaking families. One app, one bill, live news and serials, a broadcaster app (SonyLIV) and cricket.
Setup B is the same idea for Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam homes, and it's cheaper. Sun TV Network channels sit in Sling's separate Dakshin packs; see our South Indian channels guide.
Setup C suits families who mostly watch Zee serials, which Sling doesn't carry live, and who want the full Willow app with both channels and replays.
Setup D is right more often than people think. If nobody at home watches Indian serials, Willow's annual plan works out at under $7 a month.
Willow HD vs Willow Xtra vs the Willow app
This is the detail that ruins a match day. Willow runs a main channel and an overflow channel, Willow Xtra, for when two series overlap: an India tour and an Ashes Test on the same morning, say, or the IPL and a bilateral series.
What you get depends on how you buy it:
- Standalone Willow (the Willow by Cricbuzz subscription) streams both channels and has replays and highlights in its app.
- Bundled Willow in a Sling pack is often just Willow HD. Sling's 2023 Dakshin launch listed both Willow and Willow Xtra; its 2025 Desi Binge Plus and Dakshin Flex marketing listed Willow HD. Check your pack's channel list.
- TV provider Willow (YouTube TV, Fubo, cable) varies by provider and package. A provider login may also unlock the Willow app.
Before a crowded month, look at Willow's schedule for which channel your match is on. If it's Xtra and your bundle lacks it, a single month of standalone Willow at $9.99 fixes it.
Match times from India, translated
India is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of US Eastern time until US clocks change on November 1, 2026, then 10 hours 30 minutes ahead until March. Typical start times for cricket played in India:
| Match type (India time) | Eastern, summer time | Eastern, winter | Pacific, summer time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test, 9:30 a.m. | Midnight | 11 p.m. (previous day) | 9 p.m. (previous day) |
| ODI day-night, 1:30 p.m. | 4 a.m. | 3 a.m. | 1 a.m. |
| IPL afternoon game, 3:30 p.m. | 6 a.m. | 5 a.m. | 3 a.m. |
| IPL or T20I evening, 7:30 p.m. | 10 a.m. | 9 a.m. | 7 a.m. |
The IPL usually runs from late March to late May, when the US is on summer time, so the evening games start around 10 a.m. Eastern and 7 a.m. Pacific. Weekday matches therefore clash with work for most people; that's where Willow's full-match replays come in. West Coast fans get the better deal for evening games, East Coast fans for Tests played in England.
Making the entertainment side work around cricket
A cricket-plus-serials household has a scheduling problem as well as a subscription one. Both arrive in the US morning.
- Serials on demand, cricket live. Use the on-demand libraries (Disney Star's in Sling, SonyLIV, ZEE5) for serials in the evening, and keep the live TV for matches.
- Two screens on match days. Most of these services allow more than one stream at a time, so cricket can be on the living-room TV while someone watches a serial on a tablet. Check your service's stream limit before relying on it; Sling's international packs and the Willow app set their own.
- Turn off spoilers. If you'll watch a replay later, mute the Willow and Cricbuzz notifications on your phone for the day.
Devices that handle a full day of cricket
Sling, Willow, SonyLIV and ZEE5 all have apps for Roku, Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV, Samsung and LG. A few practical points for long live sessions:
- Wire it if you can. A Test day is seven hours of live video. An Ethernet cable, or an adapter for a stick, removes most mid-session buffering. See Ethernet vs Wi-Fi for streaming.
- Check the app before buying a new Fire TV. Amazon's newest Fire TV Stick 4K runs Vega OS rather than Android, with a narrower Appstore. Search for Sling and Willow before you rely on it.
- Use the TV's own apps when they're current. A recent Google TV or Roku TV needs no extra box at all.
Our guide to sports stream delay explains why your stream may run 30 seconds or more behind a friend's phone alerts.
What not to buy
The search results for this topic are dominated by sellers promising "every Indian channel plus all cricket" for $15 a month or a few hundred dollars for five to seven years. They don't hold cricket rights in the US; Willow does. Indian rights holders take cricket piracy especially seriously: ahead of the 2025 IPL season, Star India won an order from the Delhi High Court letting it block new pirate IPTV sites and apps as they appear, without returning to court each time.
The practical risk for you is simpler. These services tend to fall over during the biggest matches, when demand peaks, and long prepayments are rarely recoverable. The licensed Setup A above costs about $180 a year for live Hindi TV and cricket; there's no need to gamble on a seven-year plan. Our IPTV scam checklist lists the warning signs.
Planning around the cricket calendar
Rather than paying all year, some households switch services around the season:
- IPL season (roughly late March to late May): keep Willow, by bundle or standalone.
- ICC events: the next men's ODI World Cup is in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November 2027, with US coverage expected on Willow under current arrangements.
- Quiet months: if the family's serials are on ZEE5 or SonyLIV, you could drop to just that app and restart Willow when a series you care about begins.
Monthly billing makes this easy. Annual plans only pay off if you'd otherwise keep paying for at least eight months.
Quick answers
What is the best way to watch cricket and Indian channels together in the US? For Hindi households, a Sling Desi pack that includes Willow, such as Desi Binge Plus (listed at $15 a month in 2025). For South Indian households, Sling Dakshin Flex at $10 a month in 2025, also with Willow HD.
Is the IPL on Willow in the USA? Yes. Willow holds US rights to the IPL and shows matches live and on demand.
How much does Willow cost on its own? $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year as a standalone subscription.
What is Willow Xtra? Willow's second channel, used when two cricket series overlap. Standalone Willow includes it; some bundles carry only Willow HD, so check.
What time do IPL evening games start in the US? Around 10 a.m. Eastern and 7 a.m. Pacific, since the IPL runs while the US is on daylight saving time.
Do I need cable to get Willow? No. Willow sells its own streaming subscription and is bundled in some Sling international packs; cable or YouTube TV is only one option.
Are Indian IPTV boxes with all cricket channels legal? Generally not. Willow holds US cricket rights, and sellers offering every Indian channel plus cricket for a small fee don't disclose any licences.
Cricket rights are sold series by series and Sling reshuffles its international packs, so what includes Willow, and which Willow channels, can change. Prices quoted are from published offers at the dates given. Checked October 2026.