IPL can match any league in the world, says commissioner Rajeev Shukla

After signing a USD 2.5 billion broadcast deal with Star India, the IPL is one of the wealthiest leagues in the world accross sports. (Source: BCCI)

Indian Premier League commissioner Rajeev Shukla said that the tournament’s think tanks are planning to take it into places that have traditionally been strongholds for sports other than cricket. “We are planning to take it overseas, to places like Dubai, the UK and also America,” Shukla is quoted as saying by AFP. “We are not able to figure out where it (broadcast rights and sponsorship) will peak … but I think after the EPL, this is the most important league. It can match any league.”

Shukla’s claim is backed by facts. After signing a USD 2.5 billion broadcast deal with Star India, the IPL is one of the wealthiest leagues in the world accross sports. He pointed out that the numbers that the Fan Parks have been able to garner is an indication of the good health of the league. “In (Indian) cities where we don’t host matches, we organise fan parks where we invite people to watch the match on the big screen. So 20,000-30,000 people are coming to the fan parks,” he said. “The fan following and the viewers are increasing every year. In terms of revenue, it’s also doing wonderfully well,” Shukla said.

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The league was broadcast in Australia and New Zealand this year for the first time since 2013 by the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox Sports – the parent company of Star India. “Now we are showing IPL throughout the world,” said Shukla.

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According to industry figures, about USD 8.5 million is earned per IPL match over a season. While this is head and shoulders above any other cricket league and most other sports tournaments in the world, it still has some catching up to do to match England’s Premier League, which earns 11 million USD from the UK alone and millions more from foreign broadcast rights. An average Premier League match is watched by more than 12 million people around the world. The 2017 IPL final drew almost 40 million viewers – in a country of 1.25 billion population, according to broadcasting surveys. Neither can compete with the National Football League (NFL) in the United States, which regularly tops 20 million viewers per match.