The Business of the IPL
The IPL as a Business
The Indian Premier League turned cricket into a franchise-based entertainment business built on media rights, sponsorship and team ownership.
The Indian Premier League, launched in 2008 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is a Twenty20 tournament played between city-based franchises.
The idea
Instead of national teams, the IPL uses privately owned teams that buy players at an auction, similar to American sports leagues.
Who earns
The BCCI runs the league and shares a large part of central revenue with the teams, which also earn from tickets, sponsors and merchandise.
Why it matters
It is one of the world’s most valuable sports properties per match, and it changed how cricket is financed.
A team owner pays for the franchise licence, buys players and hopes to earn from media rights, sponsors and fans.
It is an entertainment business with sport at its core.
- The IPL began in 2008.
- Franchises are privately owned.
- Revenue comes from media, sponsors and gate money.
- It reshaped cricket's economics.
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