IPL

Began in 2008 as a domestic T20 competition
The T20 cricket is specially designed for brands. After every over, there is a break where ads can be inserted. Strategic timeouts and inning breaks create multiple commercial slots. This gives it a structural advantage over sports like football, which has continuous play.
The IPL model is already being replicated in multiple markets, from Australia's Big Bash League to South Africa's SA20 and leagues in the United States and the Caribbean.

IPL - NFL - EPL -NBA

NFL is a season, EPL is a calendar, IPL is an event.

In absolute terms, the IPL still trains the world's biggest leagues by a significant margin.
The NFL (National Football League) in US, remains the undisputed leader, generating over $20 billion annually, with over 270 games
- The average NFL franchise is worth $5.1 billion.
The EPL (English Premier League) in UK, generates revenue of €6 billion, that is $7.5 billion, for the 2022 season, with over 380 games
- The top clubs in the EPL, such as Manchester United, exceed $6 billion.
The National Basketball Association in US and Canada, generates between $10 billion and $12 billion annually, with more than 1,200 games
IPL generates roughly $3.5 to $4 billion, only 74 matches, that too within two months.
- The IPL is more like a high impact annual event rather than a regular annual event.
- The IPL closely follows the global properties in terms of media and entertainment. Like the NFL has the Super Bowl halftime show, the IPL has high-profile opening ceremonies and finals entertainment. Business Standard

Gaurav Pradhan Gurukul 🇮🇳 https://thesportsrush.com/ms-dhoni-and-suresh-raina-were-involved-in-spot-fixing-report/

Justice Mudgal Committee report, 2013

Full text of Justice Mudgal Committee report

It was Justice Mudgal report on spot fixing in 2013 in that IPL edition.

Deal between Dhoni and Himachali Thakur

Deal was given to Dhoni to leave Melbourne 2014, Border Gavaskar Series and Test cricket in the middle, because his name was to be revealed.
He made a deal with Himachali Thakur who was then BCCI President for undercut.
He also allowed CSK to be banned for 2 years and his name will not be brought out in public along with team mates. He also surrendered captaincy in ODI later because Bookies found new "KING" and Helicopter Shot was fading away. DGP

Future of cricket decided through vested interests

This is how Ex sport stars and coaches, and business partners decide the future of BCCI cricket through vested interest. Foolish fans and public will fall for their theatrics every time. DGP

Cricket success in India

How cricket became successful in India when it can't become in Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand

1983 World cup - Kapil Dev

1987 - World cup hosted by India

Modi ji meeting cricket world cup winners in his trip to Sri Lanka

NKP Salve

March 2026

IPL teams traded for billions for 2026 seasons

The Indian Premier League franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals have raked in billion-dollar valuations.

RCB = $1.78 billion (₹16,600 crores)

United Spirits Limited said its board approved selling RCB to a consortium including Aditya Birla Group, Times Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone's BXPE for about $1.78 billion. RCB's brand value is estimated to be $269 million in 2025.

RR = $1.63 billion (₹15,300 crores)

Rajasthan Royals was acquired fully by a US based entrepreneur Kal Somani-led consortium at 1.63 billion.
The consortium included Walmart and Ford families. RR's brand value is estimated to be at $146 billion in 2025.

$18.5 billion in 2025

This makes the IPS's overall business value climb to about $18.5 billion in 2025.

Sale price

Sale price is what a buyer agrees to pay at a point in time.

Business valuation

The business valuation is an estimate of what the franchise should be worth based on the expected future cash flows.

Brand Value

Brand value captures the worth of the name, identity, and goodwill, but not the full business.

Houlihan Lokey's 2025 IPL Valuation Study

[!] Brand value is embedded within business value but not equal to it.
Thus, the brand estimate and sale price can sit far apart without either being wrong.

Team valuation calculation

The main financial method to value an IPL team is the Discounted Cash Flow or DCF, which forms the part of income approach. This estimates the present value of projected future cash flows and terminal value, discounted back to today.

Brand Valuation calculation

For brand valuation, the Relief from Royalty method is used, which estimates what a franchise would have had to pay to license its own brand if it did not own it.
This methodology explicitly considers the role of the marquee players such as Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni, along with the importance of the brand to sponsors, advertisers, and fans.

Broadcasting and league sponsorships

The biggest revenue is the central revenue pool, especially the broadcasting and league sponsorships.
Top franchises generate around ₹650 crore to ₹700 crore in annual revenue, with up to 80% of the revenue secured before the tournament begins.
Helped by long-term media rights and front-loaded sponsorship deals. When media rights expectations rise, franchise value tends to rise with them.
The twin revenue streams are the broadcast on Starsports and digital streaming on Jio Cinema.

JioHotstar consolidated media rights

But the broadcasting market has been consolidated mainly by Jio, hotstar, making it harder to assume a sharp rise in the rights value in the next cycle.

Media rights for revenue

The 2023-27 cycle fetched Rs 48,390 crores or $6.2 billion.
This translates into a per-match value of roughly $13-15 billion, placing IPL among the top leagues globally in terms of match-level monetization.

More money chasing less teams

There are only 10 IPL teams, and not all are realistically available for sale, assume only one or two are realistically open to investment or sale, when many investors chase very few assets at a premium price sharply.

Revenue gap remains modest among teams

Each franchise gets around ₹500 crore from the BCCI central pool, regardless of whether it is at the top or bottom of the table.
Team-owned revenue is typically in the ₹200-300 crore range. A team like RR may generate around ₹220 crore on its own, while RCB may generate ₹270 crore to ₹300 crore, so the overall revenue gap remains modest in the field.

Reasons for people investing in teams

These teams are like trophy assets for many investors, especially ultra-rich individuals and strategic buyers. The appeal may go beyond return on investment.
The ownership brings status, access, visibility, and proximity to the world of sport, entertainment, and business.
Investors may also believe that five or six years from now the demand for these assets will remain strong and someone else will be willing to pay $2.5 billion to $3 billion. In that case, the return comes from capital appreciation, not operating cash flow. Business Standard