Best VPN for Star Sports: How to Watch from Outside India
Anyone outside of India will have a difficult time trying to stream Star Sports–unless you use a VPN to spoof an Indian IP address. Today, we show you how to do it, plus which VPN provider you can use for the smoothest, most private live sports streams abroad.
Star Sports, which is owned by Hotstar, is a streaming service that caters to Indian fans around the world. The platform offers live sports streams, movies, news, and premium content available on-demand, allowing just about anyone to sign up and start watching free content in minutes. Everything from cricket to football to hockey is there, ready to enjoy.
Star Sports tailors its content to suit different regions, making some sports and shows available in some areas while restricting it from others. This means you’ll get different types of videos depending on where you live. At the time of writing Star Sports is completely unavailable in Europe thanks to GDPR regulations. How can you bypass these region locks and watch all the Star sports you want? With a good VPN.
Star Sports is blocked outside of India, but you can restore access with these secure VPNs:
- NordVPN – Best for Star Sports – NordVPN operates a ton of servers in India, enabling you to spoof a local IP via tunnels encrypted with the unbreakable and super-fast NordLynx protocol.
- Surfshark – Makes the most of its handful of Indian servers by loading them up with advanced features, enabling you to access geoblocked streaming sites consistently.
- ExpressVPN – Streaming live sports in 4K is a bandwidth-intensive task, so why not go for the VPN that guarantees the fastest speeds in the industry?
- CyberGhost – Advanced enough to break any geoblock, simple enough for a rank VPN newbie to use effectively.
- PrivateVPN – Offers secure connections to its self-owned network while offering superior transparency on how your data is handled.
- PureVPN – One of the best spoofing VPNs, with servers in more than 140 countries worldwide.
Virtual private networks encrypt the data you send over the internet, making you anonymous and invisible in the process. This allows you to appear as if you’re from anywhere in the world, unblocking geo-restricted content with ease. Read on for our full guide on the best VPNs to use for watching Star Sports.
Top VPNs for Star Sports
Which VPN is the best for watching Star Sports, and how can you tell which services live up to the hype? It’s a tough job, but with a little research, you’ll be able to push through the marketing hype to find the best VPN around. Whether you need a fast online streaming experience or the best privacy around, check out our guide and recommendations below for the best VPNs.
Important VPN Criteria
In order to pick out the best VPN for Star Sports, you need to know which qualities are important in a VPN. It can be difficult to make sense out of all the encryption jargon, privacy policies, and other technologies, but by focusing on the criteria listed below, you can cut through the fluff and find the right service to meet your needs.
- Good stream speeds – All VPNs slow down your connection, but the best minimize this effect to an unnoticeable degree.
- Network distribution – The more servers a VPN runs, the more connections you can use.
- Varied device support – Star Sports can be streamed on multiple devices, so your VPN should work on those platforms, too.
- Zero-logging policy – Only sign up with VPNs that have a strict zero-logging policy, no exceptions.
1. NordVPN
NordVPN is an extremely popular VPN thanks in large part to its massive network of servers. The list is growing on a daily basis, but right now it offers over 5,500 servers in 59 countries, including India. This amazing variety lets NordVPN deliver incredible speeds to its users regardless of location–perfect for streaming live matches from Star Sports. There are also unique services only NordVPN offers, including protection against DDoS attacks, double encryption, and onion over VPN. All you have to do is connect and you’re set.
NordVPN includes everything you need to stay safe online, from 256-bit AES encryption to DNS leak protection, an automatic kill switch, and an amazing zero-logging policy that covers time stamps, DNS requests, IP addresses, and traffic. It’s also extremely easy to use, with smart, intuitive software designed for all modern devices that handles all of the heavy lifting. When you need solid, fast protection, just fire up NordVPN and you’re set.
Read our full NordVPN review.
- Servers optimized for unblocking Netflix
- Fast and stable connections
- Tor over VPN, double VPN
- “Double” data protection
- Money back guarantee policy.
- Automatic server selection can be unreliable
- They can take 30 days to process refunds.
2. Surfshark
Surfshark is an ideal choice for unblocking live sports, with a great balance of privacy and performance. All you have to do is select a server in India, and your VPN takes care of the advanced configuration needed to access geoblocked sites like Start Sports.
Of course, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. Surfshark automatically picks the best tunneling protocol for from from among OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, or WireGuard connections guarded by 256-AES-GCM encryption. Moreover, there are special obfuscation, smart DNS, and anti-censorship provisions that ensure you can always connect to their network (currently numbering more than 3200 servers in 65 countries), no matter what restrictions you face locally.
Speed and stability is consistently good across the entire network, allowing for smooth sports streams, even in HD. And if it sounds like your ISP wouldn’t like all this spoofing, they’ll never know about it, especially considering Surfshark never keeps logs of your activity.
- Break through harsh censorship to securely access social media and foreign news sites
- Every server is a speciality server
- VPN split tunneling available
- Logging policy independently audited and verified
- Get help any time of day via email, phone, or live chat.
- Growing network doesn’t have same coverage as more mature VPNs
- Relatively young VPN still has to prove itself trustworthy over the long haul.
Read our full Surfshark review.
3. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the most popular services in the world. It’s fast, friendly, and easy to use, largely thanks to its smart features set and wide variety of software for multiple platforms, including smartphones and PCs. ExpressVPN is perfect for anyone looking for a reliable VPN, and it’s well-suited for streaming from Star Sports thanks to its fast download speeds across the board.
ExpressVPN offers a wide range of privacy features to keep you safe online, including 256-bit AES encryption, a zero-logging policy on all traffic, and both kill switch and DNS leak protection. ExpressVPN’s server network covers over 3,000 locations in 94 different countries, giving you plenty of options for a fast connection no matter where you live or travel to. ExpressVPN takes care of finding the fastest server to connect you to each time you turn on your device. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy.
Read our full ExpressVPN review.
- Unblocks US Netflix
- Super fast servers
- Govt-level AES-256 encryption
- Keeps no logs of personal data
- Great support (24/7 chat).
- Priced slightly higher.
4. CyberGhost
CyberGhost provides one of the best all-around VPN experiences on the market. A lot of this is due to its intuitive software that works on a wide variety of devices, including smartphones, desktop PCs, and laptops. Even novice users can easily access the company’s huge network of over 5,900 servers in 90 countries, all of which deliver fast downloads and top-tier privacy. No buffering delays or slowdown for CyberGhost’s users, just a flawless internet experience every time.
CyberGhost’s privacy features keep its users secure with 256-bit AES encryption on all data, a zero-logging policy on traffic, time stamps, and IP address, and both DNS leak protection and an automatic kill switch. These foundational features hide your identity each time you go online, allowing you to connect with fully encrypted data no matter where you go. You never have to spend time configuring these features, either, as CyberGhost is ready to go right out of the box.
Read our full CyberGhost review.
- Unblocks US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube
- Compatible with TOR
- Robust encryption standards
- No logs policy
- 45-days 'No-hassle' money back guarante.
- IPv6 WebRTC leak in macOS
- Some streaming sites cannot be unblocked.
5. PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is extremely fast, and it’s also one of the easiest to use VPNs on the market. The company offers lean and accessible software anyone can pick up and use right off the bat, no complicated configuration required. It perfectly on everything from Windows to Mac, iOS to Android, and it connects to the company’s lightning fast network that offers excellent speeds around the world. It’s a simple matter to sign up and stream with PrivateVPN, and you’ll never have to worry about your online privacy again.
PrivateVPN operates a strong network of over 150 servers in 60+ countries, enough to deliver location variety and fast speeds without sacrificing reliability. PrivateVPN locks down all data passing through this network with 256-bit AES encryption, and it keeps your connection safe with an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, and a zero logging policy on traffic, too.
6. PureVPN
PureVPN is more than just a VPN, it’s an entire suite of online security features. The platform effortlessly protects you from a range of cyber threats each time you connect, making it one of the best ways to stay safe on the internet. With PureVPN you’ll have instant access to anti-virus protection, malware shields, app blocking features, and website filters in a single package. No need to download and configure extra software, just fire up PureVPN and you’re safe.
PureVPN also provides privacy features on top of its extras. It begins with a zero-logging policy on traffic and continues with an automatic kill switch, 256-bit AES encryption on all data, and DNS leak protection. These features work together to keep your data secure no matter what. And with PureVPN’s self-owned network of 2,000+ servers in 140+ countries, you’re guaranteed a fast connection at all times, as well.
Read our full PureVPN review.
What’s on Star Sports?
Not sure what Star Sports has to offer? The short answer is ‘a lot’. The longer answer is a huge variety of sports airing 24 / 7, including hockey, cricket, and tennis. Below is a quick overview of some of the best programs and channels you’ll be able to access with your VPN.
- Star Sports SD
- Star Sports HD
- Star Sports Tamil
- Star Sports Hindi
- ICC Events (Cricket World Cup, Champions Trophy)
- Indian Premier League Soccer
- International Cricket
- Asia Cup (Soccer)
- Ranji Trophy
- Tamil Nadu Premier League
- Bundesliga
- Super Cup
- I-League
- India Hockey League
- World Cup
- Sultan Aslan Shah Cup
- Formula One
- French Open
- Wimbledon
- U.S. Open
How to Use a VPN to Watch Star Sports
Star Sports has limited availability. Most of its content is exclusive to India, with several smaller selections available to other countries, including the U.S. To gain access to all of its content, you’ll want to deploy your VPN as soon as possible. Simply follow our guide below and you’ll be set in no time.
- To get started with Star Sports and a VPN, you’ll first want to download and install VPN software. Sign into your VPN’s website and download the app for your device. Install it, launch the software, then enter your login credentials to activate the connection.
- To use Star Sports you’ll need to have an IP address from the right country. India is best, if your VPN supports it, but other server origins will work, too, including the United States. Before you can start streaming, switch your VPN server to one of those countries. To do this, open the server browser and find the right node. Connect, then wait a few moments for it to resolve. Now minimize the VPN app and let it run in the background.
- Next you’ll want to verify your IP address to make sure the VPN is actually working. With your VPN active and connected to one of the above server areas, open a web browser and go to ipleak.net. Wait for the page to load and it will run an IP address lookup automatically. Look at the box beneath where it says “Your IP address”. If it shows the right country, you’re safe from VPN leaks and good to go.
- Now you’re ready to stream. Sign into the Star Sports website using your subscription details, then choose a stream to start watching. Make sure your VPN is active and connected to the right server each time you log on, then simply enjoy all the free sports you like.
Conclusion
Star Sports is one of the best resources for live TV streams in several countries around the world. Its geographic limitations can be overcome easily with the right VPN, however, which makes it an ideal service for anyone who wants fast, reliable, and safe TV streams. All you need is a good VPN and you’re set.
What are you most looking forward to watching with Star Sports? Where will you access this India-only content from with your new VPN? Tell us your plans in the comments below.
If you need a VPN for a short while when traveling for example, you can get our top ranked VPN free of charge. NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. You will need to pay for the subscription, that’s a fact, but it allows full access for 30 days and then you cancel for a full refund. Their no-questions-asked cancellation policy lives up to its name.
