New Delhi: Despite the growing popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL), for the first time in several years, the league’s ecosystem valuation has suffered a major dip. As per a study conducted by D & P Advisory, IPL’s valuation dipped from Rs 92,500 crore in 2023 to Rs 82,700 crore in 2024. As per the report, the dip is mainly due to concerns regarding future demand constraints.
While the IPL’s valuation witnessed a steep decline, the Women’s Premier League (WPL)’s ecosystem valuation rose by 8% from Rs 1,250 crore in 2023 to Rs 1,350 crore this year. The growth is a huge positive sign for the Women’s Premier League which is just two seasons old. However, the decline in IPL’s valuation is not a great sign for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The report earmarked the change in India’s broadcasting landscape as the reason behind the drop in the valuation of the IPL. The merger of Disney Star and Viacom 18 which owns JioCinema can significantly impact BCCI’s earnings from IPL’s media rights in the future due to lack of competition. BCCI made a whopping Rs 48,390 crore combined from the TV and digital rights for the 5-year cycle from 2023 to 2028. However, such hefty deals might not be possible in the future.
“This narrowing competitive field may stifle the aggressive bidding that has historically driven up the media rights prices,” said D & P Advisory’s report titled ‘Beyond 22 Yards – IPL’s Legacy and WPL’s Vision’. Though there is still competition with major players like Zee and Sony in the market, the report states that the failed Zee-Sony merger would mean they will struggle to challenge the dominance of Disney Star and Jio Cinema individually.
“The potential dearth of vigorous competition could lead to a more conservative approach in the bidding for IPL media rights. The days of escalating bid prices driven by fierce competition may be behind us, casting a shadow over the future growth trajectory of the IPL media rights valuation,” noted the report.
The report also noted how tech giants such as Amazon, Meta and Apple have not expressed interest in entering the Indian market for the IPL despite it being the world’s best T20 league and positioning itself alongside the best sporting leagues in the world. The dip in IPL’s valuation comes after BCCI earned a whopping 11,769 crore from the IPL 2023 season with the five-year media rights deal kicking in.
Mumbai Indians most valuable IPL team
As per the report, five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) once again edged fierce rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to emerge as the most valuable team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). MI won their last IPL title in 2020 and struggled with off-field controversies last season after Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as captain. However, that hasn’t affected the brand value of the franchise.
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings are the second most valuable franchise in the IPL, thanks to MS Dhoni’s magic. As long as the legendary wicket-keeper batter remains associated with the franchise, the team’s popularity is unlikely to take a hit. The report from D & P Advisory kept Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the 3rd spot and Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 4th spot on the list.
As per a study conducted by D & P Advisory, the Indian Premier League (IPL)’s valuation has seen a dip of 10.6% from Rs 92,500 crore to Rs 82,700 crore in 2024. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
