While the valuation of the overall IPL ecosystem will witness a surge, the gap between most valued leagues such as NFL remains given their global appeal, say experts | Photo Credit: KVS GIRI

The sale of Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at whopping price tags is set to potentially reshape the overall valuation of the Indian Premier League ecosystem. Analysts said not only does this mean an upside in valuations commanded by other franchises but this also sets the stage for higher expectations from the next media rights auction cycle of the T20 league.

Experts also pointed out while the valuation of the overall IPL ecosystem will witness a surge, the gap between most valued leagues such as NFL remains given their global appeal.

Pointing out that this indicates strong global investor interest in IPL franchises as an asset class, Santosh N, Managing Partner of D &P Advisory said, “Gujarat Titans last year was valued at around $1 billion and now Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals have been valued at $1.78 billion and $1.63 billion respectively. I would say this is a gamechanger as this means every single IPL franchise today is now worth over $1.5 billon. This milestone has been achieved in a shorter period of time compared to other global leagues.”

“The investors seem to be betting on a potential increase in the number of matches in the future, which will mean higher revenues for franchises. What is also critical is the assumption they are making about the commercials regarding the renewal of media rights for IPL. There is perhaps an expectation of a significant upside in terms of renewal of the media rights cycle, considering the media rights valuations has grown from about $2.5 billion to over $6 billion so far,” Santosh noted.

Echoing the view, business and brand strategy specialist Harish Bijoor said that the whooping valuations commanded by the two franchises is significant as it will mean that “literally every other IPL team in the ecosystem is set to gain to that extent.”

Global investors

Ajimon Francis, MD, Brand Finance said that transactions reflect the interest of global investors in leveraging brand IPL in other geographies beyond the Indian sub continent. “ Some of the franchises have already been focusing on developing an ecosystem through ownership of teams in international cricket leagues, and coaching and training operations, among others. That is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more potential in terms of monetisation in the future. More valued Leagues such as NFL, MLB and EPL have a viewership base across geographies with evolved structures. With the entry of these global investor-led consortiums, we believe IPL is also moving in that direction.”

Published on March 25, 2026