The Indian Premier League has been played since 2008. It is certainly one of the more recent additions to the world cricket calendar but also one of the most prestigious. There is no doubt the IPL is the richest cricket league in the world but is it growing globally as a sports league?
The Best Players in the World
In terms of attracting the best cricketers in the world, the IPL has grown into a top sports league. It would take forever to list the big-name players who have participated in the IPL over the years but some of the leading names include Chris Gayle, David Warner, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni, Jos Buttler, Brendon McCullum, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Lasith Malinga. The best players from India, South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan all play in the IPL.
Worldwide Coverage
The IPL is the most popular sports league in India, followed by the Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League. If we take the 2023 IPL final as an example, the match set a record digital audience with 32 million concurrent viewers. That was not only a global record for the IPL but a world record for a live streaming event. Viewing numbers have fluctuated over the years and there are often peaks at the beginning and end of the competition. With many fans enjoying a wager on the tournament, several IPL betting sites offer live streaming as part of their betting service. In-play betting is one of the most exciting ways to bet on the IPL and live streaming plays a significant role in the experience. The IPL is shown live across the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, United Kingdom, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United States, Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
IPL Broadcast Costs
An interesting way to assess the growth of the IPL as a sports league across the world is the cost of the broadcast rights when compared to other sports leagues. If we use the most recent figures, which are from the 2024 season, the National Football League had the highest annual broadcasting rights revenue in the world at $10 billion. There was a significant drop to the English Premier League in second place, which was $3.8 billion and the National Basketball Association at $2.7 billion. The IPL came in at 7th place overall in the worldwide highest annual broadcasting rights revenue at $1.2 billion.
The IPL may be some way behind the NBA in terms of broadcasting rights revenue, but we must consider the timescale of the two competitions. The NBA is played across six months whereas the IPL is played over two months. There are many more games for the NBA to sell to broadcasters than the IPL and the same applies to the EPL and NFL. So, considering the short length of the IPL compared to other top sports, it is a sign of how much the event has grown globally that the IPL is in the top seven for highest annual broadcasting rights revenue.
