The Indian Premier League (IPL) (also known as the TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons) is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league that is annually held in India and contested by ten city-based franchise teams. The BCCI founded the league in 2007. The competition is usually held in summer between March and May every year. It has an exclusive window in the ICC Future Tours Programme due to fewer international cricket tours happening during IPL seasons worldwide.
The IPL is the most-popular cricket league in the world; in 2014, it was ranked sixth by average attendance among all sports leagues. In 2010, the IPL became the first sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube. Other Indian sports leagues have been established based on the success of the IPL. The brand value of the league in 2022 was ₹90,038 crore (US$11 billion). According to BCCI, the 2015 IPL season contributed ₹1,150 crore (US$140 million) to the GDP of the economy of India. In December 2022, IPL became a decacorn valued at US$10.9 billion, registering a 75% growth in dollar terms since 2020 when it was valued at $6.2 billion, according to a report by consulting firm D and P Advisory. Its 2023 final was the most streamed live event on internet with 3.2 Cr or 32 million viewers.
In 2023 the league sold its media rights for the period of 2023–2027 for US$ 6.4 billion to Viacom18 and Star Sports, making the IPL's value per match $13.4 million. As of 2023, there have been sixteen seasons of the tournament. The current champions are Chennai Super Kings, who won the season 2023 after defeating Gujarat Titans in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahemedabad.
History
Background
The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was founded in 2007 with funding provided by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The ICL was not recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the BCCI was unhappy about its own committee members joining the ICL executive board. To prevent players from joining the ICL, the BCCI increased the prize money associated with its domestic tournaments and imposed lifetime bans on any player joining the rival league, which the BCCI considered a rebel league.
Foundation
On 13 September 2007, following India's victory at the 2007 T20 World Cup, the BCCI announced a franchise-based Twenty20 cricket (T20) competition called the Indian Premier League. The first season was scheduled to start in April 2008 in a "high-profile ceremony" at New Delhi. BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, who led the IPL effort, provided details of the tournament, including its format, prize money, franchise revenue system, and squad composition rules. The new league, which would be run by a seven-man governing council, would also be the qualifying mechanism for that year's Champions League Twenty20.
To determine team ownership, an auction of franchises was held on 24 January 2008; the reserve prices of the eight franchises totalled $400 million, although the auction raised a total of $723.59 million. As a result of the ban imposed on players opting to participate in the ICL, the rival league closed down in 2009.
New franchises Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala joined the league before the fourth season in 2011. Sahara Adventure Sports Group bought the Pune franchise for $370 million while Rendezvous Sports World bought the Kochi franchise for $333.3 million. The Kochi franchise was terminated after only one season when they failed to pay the BCCI the 10% bank guarantee element of the franchise.
In September 2012, after failing to find new owners, the Deccan Chargers franchise agreement was terminated. In October, an auction for a replacement franchise was held; Sun TV Network won the bid for what became the Hyderabad franchise; the team was named Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Pune Warriors India withdrew from the IPL in May 2013 over financial differences with the BCCI. The BCCI officially terminated the franchise in October, and the league reverted to eight teams.
In June 2015, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the inaugural season champions Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two seasons following their role in a spot-fixing and betting scandal. The two teams were replaced for two seasons by franchises based at Pune and Rajkot.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue for the 2020 season was moved and games were played in the United Arab Emirates. In August 2021, the BCCI announced two new franchises, based in two of six shortlisted cities, would join the league in the 2022 season. In closed bidding held in October, RPSG Group and CVC Capital won the bids for the teams, paying ₹7,000 crore (US$880 million) and ₹5,200 crore (US$650 million). The teams were subsequently named Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.
A number of IPL franchise owners have expanded their business by acquiring teams in other franchise leagues, such as the South African SA20, the Caribbean Premier League and the US Major League Cricket. Teams have been branded with similar names to their parent IPL franchises.
Organisation
The IPL's headquarters is situated inside the Cricket Centre next to the Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate, Mumbai. The Governing Council is responsible for the league's functions, including tournament organisation. As of April 2023 its members were:
- Arun Singh Dhumal – Chairman
- Jay Shah – Secretary of the BCCI
- Ashish Shelar – Treasurer, BCCI
- Avishek Dalmiya
- Pragyan Ojha – Indian Cricketers' Association's representative
- Alka Rehani Bhardwaj – Comptroller and Auditor General of India nominee
