Although only a handful of countries follow cricket, the broadcasting rights of India’s domestic cricket league are more expensive than several football and basketball tournaments

As we are well aware, cricket is not one of the most famous sports in the world when compared to sports such as football, basketball, rugby, or Formula One. As of 2024, only 12 countries are complete or permanent members of the International Cricket Council, which means that only 12 countries take part in the major international cricket tournaments.

In short, cricket is nowhere near the sports mentioned in the first paragraph. Irrespective of that, India’s domestic cricket league, the Indian Premier League broadcasting rights, became more expensive than several famous football and basketball leagues in 2020. In this article, we have compiled a list of those football leagues and basketball leagues whose broadcast rights are less expensive than the Indian Premier League. 

Indian Premier League, INR 64.37 crore

As per data shared by Duff & Phelps, in 2020, Star India, the official host broadcaster of the India Premier League, paid INR 64.37 to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The amount of money Star India paid to BCCI was not for the entire tournament but for one match, i.e., INR 64.37 crore per match (60 matches). 

Bundesliga, Germany’s top-tier football league

The Bundesliga is one of the most followed domestic football leagues in the world. The league comprises big names such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund; clubs worth 4.22 billion US dollars and 1.9 billion US dollars, respectively. However, the Bundesliga’s broadcasting rights are less expensive compared to the IPL. The host broadcaster of the Bundesliga paid only 29.53 crore per match in 2020. 

Bayern Munich celebrating their win in the Bundesliga

NBA, the premier basketball league in the world

In the world of basketball, there is no other league as big as the National Basketball Association league. The league comprises 30 teams compared to the IPL's 10, and when it comes to players, names such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan are famous worldwide. However, compared to the Indian Premier League, the official broadcaster of the NBA paid merely INR 15.09 crore per match. 

The figures display that even though cricket is not a famous sport, the India Premier League is bigger than several world-famous sports leagues. Last but not least, the data proves that IPL is the biggest domestic cricket league in the world, and leagues such as PSL (Pakistan), Big Bash League (Australia), and T20 Blast (England) are far away from the charm and success of IPL. 

Where does IPL stand in 2024?

In February, Business Standard reported that the Indian Premier League, as of 2024, is the second-most expensive sporting tournament in the world. The broadcasting rights cost of a single IPL match is 16.8 million US dollars, which stands second behind the National Football League (NFL), the US league whose broadcasting rights cost of one match is 36.8 million US dollars. Last but not least, as per a Jefferies report, the IPL is ahead of other major and world-renowned leagues such as the English Premier League (EPL), La Liga, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) League.

NFL players in action