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Cricket PlayersBCCI president Sourav Ganguly makes massive statement on IPL vs English Premier League comparison
IPL's rise in terms of popularity and revenues gained has often been compared to some of the top leagues across the world including the NBA, NFL and the English Premier League.
Indian Premier League (IPL) in many ways has changed world cricket, let alone Indian cricket. Hailed as the biggest and the most successful franchise-based cricket leagues, IPL began back in 2008 and has since been annually held by the the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It's rise in terms of popularity and revenues gained has often been compared to some of the top leagues across the world including the NBA, NFL and the English Premier League. And BCCI president Sourav Ganguly made a massive statement on comparing IPL with Premier League football.
Ganguly pointed out that IPL generates more revenues than the Premier League, which is regarded as the most-watched football league across the globe. Speaking to Deepak Lamba (CEO, Worldwide Media, President, Times Strategic Solutions Limited) at the India Leadership Council Event, Ganguly was ecstatic to see the evolution of the sport.
"I've seen the game evolve, where players like me earned a few hundreds and now have the potential of earning crores. This game is run by the fans, by the people of this country, and by the BCCI, which was formed by cricket fans. This sport is strong and will continue to evolve. The IPL generates more revenue than the English Premier League. It makes me feel happy and proud that the sport I love has evolved to become so strong," Ganguly said.
Ganguly's comment came at a time when some of the media companies in the country are vying for the elusive media rights to the IPL, the world's richest cricket league, expected to fetch up to $6 billion.
"There is also a global shift toward saner valuations, where investor expectations have shifted from ‘growth-at-any-cost’ to ‘growth-with-profitability’," said Mihir Shah, vice president of consultants Media Partners Asia.
"IPL is the hottest property in cricket and it has just been expanded to a 10-team tournament, which means there will be more matches," BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters. "All of it should reflect in the value of the new media rights, which we expect to be significantly higher than our previous deal."
