The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal indicated that the league’s journey of success over the last 15 years should potentially drive its media rights value to $ 50 billion in the next two decades. Dhumal spoke during the RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India on Thursday in Bengaluru.
The media rights for the IPL have grown from Rs 6,000 crores to Rs 48000 crores and the league is only second to the National Football League (NFL) across all sporting leagues in the world. Dhumal believes the widespread popularity and success of the league will act as a catalyst in its evolution over the next 10 years.
“If I have to see how it has gone over the last 15 years and if I have to go by estimates going forward, we are expecting media rights to go somewhere close to $50 billion by around 2043. Now that cricket is becoming part of the Olympics and with the Women’s Premier League taking it to a different level for women’s cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Because of the way it has been happening for the last 15 years, it is only going to get better,” Dhumal said.
RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India brought together people from across the sporting world, offering a global perspective on the present and future of the sports industry and how India can become a powerhouse in the business of sports.