The Indian Premier League (IPL) is getting richer every season and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal believes the value of the world's biggest cricket league's media rights has the potential to cross the $50 billion mark in the next two decades.
Speaking at RCB Innovation Lab's Leaders Meet in Bengaluru, Dhumal said, “If I have to see how things have been going in the last 15 years and if I have to rely on estimates going forward, we expect media rights to be somewhere around will reach $50 billion around 2043.”
“Going forward, we have to keep innovating, keep doing better in terms of fan engagement and keep doing better in terms of the quality of games,” the IPL chairman said.
The current value of IPL media rights
IPL became the second richest sports league in the world after Star Sports and Viacom 18 secured the media rights for five years in 2023. BCCI raised a whopping Rs 48,390 crore ($6.20 billion) last year through IPL media rights for a period of five years.
The US National Football League (NFL) is believed to rake in an average of $36 million per game after the 11-year deal (2022-2033) worth an estimated $113 billion signed in 2021.
| Sports competition | Media rights value per match |
| National Football League (NFL) | $36 million |
| Indian Premier League (IPL) | $13.82 million |
| English Premier League (EPL) | $11 million |
| Major League Baseball (MLB) | $9.57 million |
| National Basketball Association (NBA) | $2.12 million |
Dhumal cited the involvement of franchisee fans as a major reason behind the IPL's reputation on the ground.
“We have seen in the recently held World Cup matches that they (fans) were there for Team India but at the same time they were also supporting RCB which is great and we are very proud of that. Personally I think IPL is the best Make in India brand is that we can think of after independence.”
Olympics and WPL to boost cricket: Dhumal
Dhumal also said that cricket would get a big boost after its inclusion in the Olympics.
“With cricket becoming part of the Olympic Games and with the Women's Premier League taking it to another level for women's cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Because of the way it has been happening for the last fifteen years, it will it's only going to get better,” he said.
Cricket will be part of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and it would be the first time since 1900 that cricket will be a medal event in the world's biggest sporting event.