IPL e-auction just showed how strong cricket is in our country: BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said the IPL e-auction demonstrated how strong the game has become in India. When asked about the recent sale of the league's media rights, Ganguly said the figures should inspire future players to reach their full potential to compete at the greatest level. The former India captain attributed the IPL's meteoric rise to the people's faith in the BCCI and its leadership.

"The game has never been just about money, it is about talent. The IPL e-auction just showed how strong the game is in our country. The numbers should be the biggest motivation for all the young players to take their ability and Team India to the highest level," Ganguly was quoted as saying on IPL's official website. 

"IPL’s growth story and its phenomenal rise in the sporting world is a result of people’s immense faith and belief in the BCCI leadership and its workforce to keep on delivering under all adversities. I am sure with the constant support of everyone in the eco-system we will be able to take brand IPL to new heights on the global sports stage," Ganguly added. 

IPL media rights sold for a mind-boggling sum

The IPL media rights for the 2023-27 cycle have been sold for a whopping sum of Rs. 48,390.32 crore (US$ 6.2 billion approx). Disney-owned Star India retained the league's Indian subcontinent TV rights for Rs 23,575 crore, while the digital rights for the same region went to Viacom 18 for Rs 20,500 crore. Viacom 18 was also successful in acquiring the non-exclusive digital rights to select high-profile matches under Package C for Rs. 3,273 crore, taking the overall value of digital rights to Rs 26,848 crore. 

Package D, which includes TV and digital rights for foreign broadcast and streaming, was secured by Viacom 18 and Times Internet. This gives each match a total value of Rs 118.02 crore. To put these numbers in context, Star India had spent Rs 16,347 crore (about US$ 2.2 billion) for the TV and digital rights for the 2018-22 cycle, with each match costing Rs 54.5 crore at the time. In terms of per-match value for the 2023-27 cycle, the IPL has now surpassed the English Premier League as the second most lucrative sporting league in the world.

Image: IPL/BCCI/PTI