The rise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years has been staggering. With IPL Media Rights reaching a venue of $6.2 billion in 2022, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal believes in a further trajectory for the league. Only second to the National Football League (NFL), the IPL has seen an exuberant rise over the years.
“If I have to see how it has gone over the last 15 years and if I have to go by estimates going forward, we are expecting media rights (of the IPL) to go somewhere close to $50 billion by around 2043,” said Dhumal while speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India in Bengaluru.
The new cycle of the IPL Media rights that spans over a period of 5 years, starting from 2022 has seen that valuation reach $6.2 billion (around Rs 48,000 crore). But over the next two decades, the IPL Chairman belives that the valuation can reach around $50 billion.
More Cash in Cricket
The cash influx in cricket is going to increase by leaps and bounds. This is primarily due to 2 reasons – WPL and 2028 LA Olympics. Women’s Premier League (WPL) has a successful debut season and with the growing popularity in Women’s cricket, the fan engagement will surely increase.
“We need to keep innovating, keep doing better in terms of fan engagement, and keep making it better in terms of the quality of games,” he said.
The next and most important part is the inclusion of cricket in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This major move will be key and beneficial for the ever-rising growth and popularity of the sport in the India and Worldwide.
“Now that cricket is becoming part of the Olympics and with the WPL taking it to a different level for women’s cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel,” said Dhumal.
“IPL is the most-watched cricket league in the world. Personally, I feel IPL is the best Make in India brand we can think of post-Independence. We are a very diverse country in terms of states, cultures and languages being spoken. But this is one platform (IPL) which is rooted so well that you are able to showcase India to the globe,” Dhumal concluded.
