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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is close to signing a groundbreaking deal with Google which could see live cricket broadcast on the internet.

The agreement, part of the IPL’s global expansion strategy, is being finalised and should be confirmed later this week.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Google is likely to stream live content from the IPL on a YouTube channel which will be available in countries that currently do not broadcast the Twenty20 league. A similar deal was struck with the International Olympic Committee in 2008 which saw highlights from the Beijing Games streamed on YouTube in 77 countries.

Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman and commissioner, unveiled plans at the weekend to hold IPL matches in the United States by the end of next year.

And he said at the time that the competition would be given a greater online presence in countries where there is no broadcast coverage. At the moment, the IPL does not have a broadcast partner in Britain following last year’s closure of Setanta.

Modi added: “We think this is important to ensure every cricket lover in the world, wherever he or she is, is able to watch all IPL matches live through one of these mediums. We are ensuring that the IPL is available throughout the world in every country starting this season.”

The tie-up with Google could significantly boost the IPL’s sponsorship and advertising revenues as the value of many of its existing deals increases with the amount of coverage the tournament can guarantee.