“Why can’t India’s state T20 leagues have their own Champions League?”
It is a question Vinayak Kalani, owner of Madhya Pradesh (MP) League franchise Ujjain Falcons, has been asking as India’s domestic franchise ecosystem continues to expand beyond the IPL.
And it is not a question coming from a cricket administrator or former player.
Kalani is among the growing class of investors entering India’s state-league cricket economy—a space that sits well below the IPL in scale but is increasingly attracting sponsors, broadcasters, corporate groups and franchise owners looking to build long-term sporting assets.
In a candid conversation with Financial Express Digital’s Abhishek Singh, the Ujjain Falcons owner outlined a vision that goes beyond the fortunes of a single franchise or even a single league.
His proposition is simple: if competitions such as the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Karnataka’s Maharaja Trophy, Bengal Pro T20 League, Andhra Premier League, Saurashtra Pro T20 League and MP League T20 continue to grow, why shouldn’t their best teams eventually compete against each other?
“Every league today has IPL players attached to it. Every league has established teams and its own following,” Kalani says. “At some point, you have to ask whether the ecosystem is mature enough to think bigger.”
Betting On The Next Layer Of Indian Cricket
For most investors, the IPL remains out of reach.
Franchise valuations have surged into thousands of crores, making ownership an option available only to the country’s largest corporate houses and investment groups.
State leagues, however, represent a very different proposition.
The entry costs are significantly lower, the market is still developing and the opportunity lies in getting involved before the ecosystem reaches maturity.
That was part of the attraction for Kalani and the Treasure Group, the Madhya Pradesh-based real-estate company behind Ujjain Falcons.
“This was absolutely a business decision,” he says.
The group has spent decades building its presence in Indore and other parts of Madhya Pradesh. A cricket franchise, Kalani argues, offers something traditional advertising often cannot: statewide visibility combined with emotional engagement.
“The league brings audiences from across Madhya Pradesh together. It gives us a platform in markets where we may want to expand in the future.”
The strategy reflects a broader trend emerging across Indian sport.
Increasingly, businesses are viewing franchise ownership not simply as a sporting investment but as a branding and market-expansion tool.
How State Leagues Became Serious Sports Businesses
The timing of Kalani’s comments is significant.
A decade ago, most state T20 leagues were viewed primarily as talent-development platforms.
The TNPL, launched in 2016, was designed to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s cricket ecosystem. Over time, however, it developed something more valuable: a recognisable brand.
The league created local rivalries, attracted sponsors, secured broadcast visibility and produced a steady pipeline of players who eventually graduated to the IPL and international cricket.
Other states took notice.
Karnataka’s Maharaja Trophy followed a similar model. Bengal launched its own franchise competition. Andhra Pradesh, Saurashtra and several other state associations began investing in commercially driven T20 tournaments.
The MP League T20 is among the newer entrants but has expanded rapidly.
This season, the competition increased its men’s franchise count to 10 teams with the addition of Ujjain Falcons, Bundelkhand Bulls and Chambal Ghariyals, signalling growing confidence in the league’s future.
For investors, that growth matters.
Every additional sponsor, streaming partner, audience milestone and franchise sale contributes to the perception that state-league cricket is becoming a legitimate business category rather than a cricketing side project.
The Champions League Idea
It is against this backdrop that Kalani’s proposal emerges.
Cricket has experimented with a similar concept before.
The Champions League T20 once brought together leading franchises from different countries before being discontinued in 2014. Kalani’s version, however, would be entirely domestic.
Instead of international teams, the competition would feature the champions—or top-performing franchises—from India’s leading state leagues.
Imagine the winner of the TNPL facing the champion of the Maharaja Trophy. Add the strongest teams from Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh into the mix and the result could be a national franchise tournament operating beneath the IPL.
From a business perspective, the concept has obvious appeal.
It would extend the lifecycle of state-league competitions, create fresh rivalries, provide broadcasters with additional inventory and offer sponsors access to audiences that already identify strongly with regional teams.
Most importantly, it would give every state league a larger prize to chase.
“The ecosystem is developing. The teams are developing. The fan bases are developing,” Kalani says. “Eventually, you have to start looking at what comes next.”
Building Value Before Profit
Like most emerging sports properties, state-league franchises remain focused on growth rather than immediate returns.
Central revenue streams are still developing. Sponsorship markets remain relatively young. Most leagues are still in the audience-building phase.
That does not concern Kalani.
For him, success is measured less by short-term profitability and more by the creation of long-term franchise value.
“The conversations are about how do we increase visibility, how do we increase sponsorship interest, how do we make the league bigger,” he says.
Those are the same questions that confronted the IPL in its early years.
The difference is that today’s state leagues are building in a world where franchise cricket is already a proven business model.
A Glimpse Of What Comes Next
Whether a Champions League for India’s state franchises ever becomes reality remains uncertain.
The cricket calendar is crowded. Stakeholder alignment would be complex. Broadcaster interest would need to be established.
But perhaps that is not the most important takeaway.
The bigger story is that franchise owners are beginning to think beyond their individual teams and leagues.
A decade ago, state T20 competitions were largely developmental exercises.
Today, they are attracting investors, building brands, generating sponsorship interest and discussing national expansion.
The IPL transformed franchise cricket in India.
The question now being asked by one MP T20 League owner is whether the next chapter could belong to the leagues that followed in its wake.
And if that idea does gain momentum, one of its earliest champions may well have emerged from Ujjain.