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India Today
09-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
RCB overtakes CSK as IPL's most valuable team, league now worth $18.5 billion
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen a sharp increase in its business and brand value this year, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerging as the most valuable franchise.A report released by investment bank Houlihan Lokey said the IPL's business value rose by 13% in 2025 to $18.5 billion, which is nearly Rs 1.6 lakh crore. At the same time, the brand value of the league increased by 14% to nearly $4 billion, or about Rs 33,000 the first time in its 18-year history, RCB lifted the IPL trophy this season. That win, along with strong off-field performance, helped the team become the most valued franchise in terms of brand value. RCB is now worth $269 million, according to the allowed it to go ahead of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians, both of whom had dominated the top positions in previous rise was supported by a mix of consistent performance on the field, a loyal fan base, and clever branding strategies. The report said that the team benefited from its star players, new leadership under Rajat Patidar, and associate sponsors like tech brand also focused on building local support in Karnataka through events and digital engagement, which added to its brand strength. The team's title win and the huge viewership during the final match, which crossed 678 million views, helped solidify its top Indians (MI) are now ranked second with a brand value of $242 is in third place with a value of $235 million, while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) followed closely at $227 million. These four teams remain the top brands in the IPL. Despite CSK having a weak season and finishing at the bottom of the table, the team continues to enjoy strong fan support and sponsorships, especially because of the ongoing presence of MS Houlihan Lokey report called the IPL 'a global phenomenon' that has become more than just a cricket IPL now sits at the crossroads of sport, entertainment, and business. It attracts attention not only from fans but also from major investors and sponsors. The report said that the IPL's business model, driven by strong media rights, front-loaded sponsorship deals, and salary caps, gives it a better financial position than leagues like the English Premier League or the season also saw a major rise in advertising income. The report estimates that IPL 2025 brought in around $600 million, or nearly Rs 5,000 crore, from advertisements, a 50% jump over last year. The final match between RCB and Punjab Kings was the most-watched broadcast, beating even the India vs Pakistan match from the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this the revenue side, nearly 80% of costs for top franchises are covered before the season begins. Salary caps of Rs 120 crore per team prevent large wage hikes and help keep competition fair. This gives IPL teams better profit margins than many of their global counterparts. According to the report, the top franchises earn between Rs 650 crore and Rs 700 crore every Lokey also said that the IPL has helped create a wave of short-format leagues in other countries and is playing a key role in shaping the modern cricket calendar. The league is now being seen as one of the strongest sports and entertainment brands its increasing international reach, strong cash flows, and growing digital viewership, the IPL is attracting more interest from global investors. Institutional funds and private equity players are now considering IPL franchises as long-term, high-growth report concluded that the IPL continues to set new benchmarks in commercial sports, and RCB's 2025 win marks a major shift in the power balance of the league's most valuable teams.- Ends advertisement
India Gazette
24-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
"Skills being honed for national, also world stage": Jyotiraditya Scindia lauds Madhya Pradesh League
Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 24 (ANI): Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday praised Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) for nurturing cricketing talent and elevating the state's presence on national and international platforms. Speaking ahead of the final match of the ongoing MPL season, Scindia said Gwalior is on course to 'touch new heights in the field of sports.' The final will be played between the Bhopal Leopards and the Chambal Ghariyals in Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium. Highlighting the success of the league, which was launched last year, the minister said, 'After the formation of this league, by finding and giving opportunities to the Navratnas of our state, their skills are being fully honed not only on the national stage but also on the world stage.' Scindia pointed to the growing influence of MPL players, stating that 11 players from the league were picked in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year alone. He also celebrated the achievement of Rajat Patidar, who has played in MPL and led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden IPL title in the 18th edition of the tournament. 'Last year itself, 11 players got a chance in the IPL edition, and the captain of the team that won the IPL this year was also from our Madhya Pradesh League,' he said. 'Rajat Patidar captained well and the RCB team got a chance to win the cup for the first time in the 18th edition, after 18 years,' Scindia remarked, extending his congratulations to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), Gwalior Division, and everyone involved. Scindia also emphasised gender equality in sports development within the state. 'I want to make it clear that in our state, the young men have as much talent as the young women,' he said. With the final match of the MPL scheduled for the evening, the minister expressed confidence that the match will be interesting. 'We are fully confident that the final match will be very exciting,' he concluded. (ANI)
News18
14-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
BCCI Forms Committee To Formulate Guidelines To Prevent Future Stampedes
BCCI formed a committee to create guidelines preventing future incidents after a stampede during RCB's IPL victory celebration killed eleven. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the formation of a committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future. 'The Apex Council expressed its profound grief over the tragic incidents in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, which led to the unfortunate loss of innocent lives," BCCI said in a statement. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah felicitated the RCB players at the Vidhana Soudha. The team then proceeded to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where captain Rajat Patidar and star batsman Virat Kohli addressed the fans. The stampede occurred outside the venue during this time. (With inputs from Agencies) About the Author Ritayan Basu First Published: June 14, 2025, 21:32 IST
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bengaluru stampede: The concentric circles of guilt in a sports-loving city
For no fault of the players, RCB's first IPL title will always be associated with death and disaster. Rajat Patidar and his boys deserved better, as did the lakhs of fans who turned up that Wednesday morning to share in the triumph. Sport is a life-affirming activity, and to die in its support goes against the natural order of things. Eleven fans died, and no amount of buck-passing will make a difference to their families and loved ones. I have lived in Bengaluru for more years than anywhere else, starting from primary school. But you don't have to be a local to feel the terrible weight of the human disaster. Especially one which with some foresight and common sense could have been avoided. A marketing opportunity for one group, a photo-op for another saw the death of innocence in a sports-loving city. Accountability usually works in a series of concentric circles. Steadily, depending on the public reaction, it moves from the outermost circle which is the least to blame and moves towards the centre. There are, of course varying degrees of guilt, starting from the outermost circle, which was quickly brought into the picture by the Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) when he said the crowds were 'uncontrollable.' This is the politician's first line of defence — the people did it. But this is not an issue likely to disappear, especially since the politicians appeared to be more keen on posing with the players than on dealing with the situation. Does the DCM deserve the benefit of the doubt when he claimed that inside the stadium he did not know about the stampede outside? No official told him? The politicians belong to the innermost circle — is the momentum of the accountability strong enough to get to them? Lack of communication Letters emerging from top police officials warning of the dangers of the lack of preparation for controlling huge crowds suggest that ultimately decisions were taken to which they were not privy. The lack of clear communication between the organisers (there is still some confusion about who these were, the government, the Karnataka State Cricket Association or RCB, or all three at different times and venues) and the public was, in the end, fatal. Crowds respond to rumours; they contain professional trouble-makers, some fuelled by drink. Many seek a shared kinship amidst unemployment and marginalisation. 'It seems that most of India's fans are not so much cricket lovers as cricketer lovers.' There is too the culture of the IPL itself, which encourages over-the-top reactions. Irrational, overplayed and illogical, it is one of sport's techniques to put 'bums on seats', as the boxer Muhammad Ali memorably put it. Or bums on couches before the television. Rivalry, individual as well as among teams, is encouraged. Remember the famous slap in the early years, when Harbhajan Singh, an India player, slapped Sreesanth, another India player? There is no such thing as bad publicity, those officials believed, but now they have overplayed their hand. 'Celebration' and rotten behaviour If cricket fans in India have become indistinguishable from football fans in Europe, the culture of the IPL has something to do with this. 'Celebration' — whether on New Year's Eve or at festivals — seems a free pass to rotten behaviour, physical abuse of women, and perhaps an outlet for many frustrations. Anonymity in a crowd is of the kind that social media guarantees, so is the entitlement. Perhaps the refusal to listen to authority or follow instructions comes from the same mindset. That, of course, ought not to stop authority, from the politicians to the police from doing their job of keeping everybody safe. Would lakhs have turned up to greet the Karnataka team had they won the Ranji Trophy? It seems that most of India's fans are not so much cricket lovers as cricketer lovers. Social media has fed into the interminable hunger for news of personalities, building the players up in the process and putting them out of reach of the everyday. But those questions will have to await another day. For the moment, it is important to sift the essential from the incidental. Senior policemen have been suspended, an RCB official faced arrest, two office-bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association have resigned. But who among the inner circle knowing the possible consequences gave the go-ahead? Check the photographs.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The concentric circles of guilt in a sports-loving city
For no fault of the players, RCB's first IPL title will always be associated with death and disaster. Rajat Patidar and his boys deserved better, as did the lakhs of fans who turned up that Wednesday morning to share in the triumph. Sport is a life-affirming activity, and to die in its support goes against the natural order of things. Eleven fans died, and no amount of buck-passing will make a difference to their families and loved ones. I have lived in Bengaluru for more years than anywhere else, starting from primary school. But you don't have to be a local to feel the terrible weight of the human disaster. Especially one which with some foresight and common sense could have been avoided. A marketing opportunity for one group, a photo-op for another saw the death of innocence in a sports-loving city. Accountability usually works in a series of concentric circles. Steadily, depending on the public reaction, it moves from the outermost circle which is the least to blame and moves towards the centre. There are, of course varying degrees of guilt, starting from the outermost circle, which was quickly brought into the picture by the Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) when he said the crowds were 'uncontrollable.' This is the politician's first line of defence — the people did it. But this is not an issue likely to disappear, especially since the politicians appeared to be more keen on posing with the players than on dealing with the situation. Does the DCM deserve the benefit of the doubt when he claimed that inside the stadium he did not know about the stampede outside? No official told him? The politicians belong to the innermost circle — is the momentum of the accountability strong enough to get to them? Lack of communication Letters emerging from top police officials warning of the dangers of the lack of preparation for controlling huge crowds suggest that ultimately decisions were taken to which they were not privy. The lack of clear communication between the organisers (there is still some confusion about who these were, the government, the Karnataka State Cricket Association or RCB, or all three at different times and venues) and the public was, in the end, fatal. Crowds respond to rumours; they contain professional trouble-makers, some fuelled by drink. Many seek a shared kinship amidst unemployment and marginalisation. There is too the culture of the IPL itself, which encourages over-the-top reactions. Irrational, overplayed and illogical, it is one of sport's techniques to put 'bums on seats', as the boxer Muhammad Ali memorably put it. Or bums on couches before the television. Rivalry, individual as well as among teams, is encouraged. Remember the famous slap in the early years, when Harbhajan Singh, an India player, slapped Sreesanth, another India player? There is no such thing as bad publicity, those officials believed, but now they have overplayed their hand. 'Celebration' and rotten behaviour If cricket fans in India have become indistinguishable from football fans in Europe, the culture of the IPL has something to do with this. 'Celebration' — whether on New Year's Eve or at festivals — seems a free pass to rotten behaviour, physical abuse of women, and perhaps an outlet for many frustrations. Anonymity in a crowd is of the kind that social media guarantees, so is the entitlement. Perhaps the refusal to listen to authority or follow instructions comes from the same mindset. That, of course, ought not to stop authority, from the politicians to the police from doing their job of keeping everybody safe. Would lakhs have turned up to greet the Karnataka team had they won the Ranji Trophy? It seems that most of India's fans are not so much cricket lovers as cricketer lovers. Social media has fed into the interminable hunger for news of personalities, building the players up in the process and putting them out of reach of the everyday. But those questions will have to await another day. For the moment, it is important to sift the essential from the incidental. Senior policemen have been suspended, an RCB official faced arrest, two office-bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association have resigned. But who among the inner circle knowing the possible consequences gave the go-ahead? Check the photographs.
