Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought a plethora of changes in world cricket, let alone Indian cricket. Hailed as the most successful franchise-based cricket league, IPL was inaugurated in 2008 and has since been annually held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Its rise in terms of popularity and revenue has brought it close to some of the biggest sports leagues in the world like the NBA, NFL, and the Premier League. And BCCI president Sourav Ganguly made a massive statement by comparing IPL with Premier League.
Sourav Ganguly has pointed out that IPL generates more revenues than the Premier League, which is regarded as the most-watched football league around the globe. Speaking to Deepak Lamba (CEO, Worldwide Media, President, Times Strategic Solutions Limited) at the India Leadership Council Event, Ganguly shared his ecstasy behind the evolution of the sport.
Elaborating the same, as per the quotes in Hindustan Times, Sourav Ganguly said, “I’ve seen the game evolve, where players like me earned a few hundred and now have the potential of earning crores. This game is run by the fans, by the people of this country, and by the BCCI, which was formed by cricket fans.”
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He further added, “This sport is strong and will continue to evolve. The IPL generates more revenue than the English Premier League. It makes me feel happy and proud that the sport I love has evolved to become so strong.”
Ganguly’s comment came at a time when some of the media companies in the country are furiously bidding to gain the media rights of the 2023-27 seasons of the IPL, the world’s richest cricket league, expected to fetch up to $6 billion.
On the other hand, Mihir Shah, vice president of consultants Media Partners Asia said, “There is also a global shift toward saner valuations, where investor expectations have shifted from ‘growth-at-any-cost’ to ‘growth-with-profitability’.”
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Even during a chat with Reuters, BCCI treasurer, Arun Singh Dhumal said, “IPL is the hottest property in cricket and it has just been expanded to a 10-team tournament, which means there will be more matches. All of it should reflect in the value of the new media rights, which we expect to be significantly higher than our previous deal.”
