The Indian Premier League (IPL) has rapidly evolved into a global sporting behemoth—and its commercial ecosystem is now seen as a gold standard in franchise-based sports. In a recent and in-depth original article by SportsPro, the full extent of the IPL’s sponsorship muscle and structural innovation was laid bare, offering rare insight into how the league continues to command value and shape global sponsorship trends.
This article, entirely based on and sourced from the original work published by SportsPro, explores the most compelling highlights of their detailed breakdown—focusing on how the IPL’s sponsorship model has matured, adapted, and grown stronger than ever.
A League of its Own: The IPL Sponsorship Framework
As outlined by SportsPro, the IPL’s sponsorship blueprint is sharply structured, highly exclusive, and built around long-term value. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offers ten centralized sponsor positions: a prestigious title partner, six associate sponsors, and three specific category partnerships—namely, the official umpire partner, strategic timeout partner, and the orange and purple cap partner.
This centralized structure has allowed the BCCI to maintain complete control over rights valuation. According to SportsPro, tender processes remain non-negotiable and price-driven. This ensures that no deal is made below BCCI’s expectations, with base pricing modeled on previous peak-value contracts.
For instance, SportsPro reports that associate sponsorships in the current 2024–2028 cycle start at ₹65 crore ($7.7M) annually, while specialized partnerships such as umpire or cap sponsorships begin at ₹40–60 crore per year. This, by design, limits the IPL’s central partner roster to top-tier brands with a strategic, long-term approach.
The Core Commercial Engine
The current central sponsor lineup, as detailed by SportsPro, includes:
- Title Sponsor: Tata Group (since 2022)
- Associate Partners: My11Circle (fantasy gaming), Angel One (stock trading), and My11Circle again under another classification
- Strategic Timeout Partner: Ceat
- Umpire Partner: Wonder Cement
Interestingly, SportsPro highlights that My11Circle is not only the most valuable associate partner but also a returnee from the prior cycle—a rarity in the IPL’s frequently shifting commercial landscape.
With category exclusivity and aggressive pricing strategies, SportsPro reveals that the league generates approximately ₹850 crore ($100.9M) annually from just six central sponsors—numbers that outpace many global leagues in terms of sponsor value per game.
BCCI’s Disciplined Value Strategy
In one of the article’s standout insights, SportsPro quotes Nikhil Bardia of Rise Worldwide, who praises the IPL for never undervaluing its assets. This pricing discipline has become a pillar of IPL’s sustainability, attracting brands that are less interested in quick visibility and more focused on long-term cultural investment.
As SportsPro explains, this strategy has led to some brands choosing team-level deals as a more tactical, scalable point of entry. In 2025, Jio, Dream11, Campa Cola, and BKT Tires opted to engage with multiple franchises for a wider, more grassroots appeal across India’s vast fan base.
Growth Despite Turnover
While the IPL’s financial strength continues to rise, SportsPro does point out a key dynamic—brand churn. The league has rotated through five different title sponsors since its 2008 debut, with only a few associate partners renewing deals across cycles.
SportsPro notes that brands like Cred, Upstox, and Swiggy Instamart—representative of India’s startup ecosystem—have exited, largely due to broader economic shifts, not the IPL’s performance. Meanwhile, global corporations such as Aramco have pivoted toward global platforms like the ICC.
Media Rights & Market Reach
A significant section of SportsPro‘s reporting focuses on the IPL’s astronomical media impact. With a $6.2 billion domestic media rights deal with Disney Star and Viacom18, and digital streaming (via JioCinema) reaching 620 million viewers in 2024, the IPL is not just India’s top domestic product—it is one of the most-watched leagues in the world.
SportsPro rightfully underscores that this media footprint amplifies the value of sponsorship, giving partners a reach unmatched by any other Indian sports property.
Room to Grow: Team-Level Sponsorships
According to SportsPro, while central deals dominate headlines, team sponsorships are gaining traction—especially as global brands look to localize. DHL (Mumbai Indians), FedEx (Chennai Super Kings), and Qatar Airways (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) have all gone the franchise-first route.
Team-level deals also remain underpriced compared to central ones. The most valuable team sponsorship—Mumbai Indians’ deal with Lauritz Knudsen—is worth ₹120 crore ($14M) over three years, less than half the value of the lowest central sponsorship slot.
What’s Next for the IPL?
SportsPro captures an important future consideration: expansion. BCCI chairman Arun Dhumal has confirmed discussions around extending the tournament from 74 games to potentially 94 games—a move that would increase sponsor inventory and further enhance media value.
Even with four central sponsorship slots currently unfilled, SportsPro remains optimistic, noting that previous cycles saw new sponsors join mid-way. The league’s brand valuation also climbed 13% in 2024, reaching $12 billion.
Final Word (Courtesy of SportsPro)
The IPL is arguably the second-most lucrative sports league on Earth when measured by media rights cost per game—only behind the NFL. And as SportsPro keenly notes, there’s still plenty of upside left.
Brands aren’t just advertising on IPL platforms—they’re investing in India’s cultural heartbeat. And the IPL, as chronicled masterfully by SportsPro, remains the epicenter of commercial sport in South Asia.
Disclaimer: This article is a rewritten summary based on an original report by SportsPro. All insights, data points, and quotes referenced above originate from SportsPro‘s expert analysis. This piece exists purely for educational and informative purposes, with full acknowledgment of SportsPro as the primary source. Please refer to their original article for the most in-depth and direct coverage.
