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Cricket PlayersIPL's blockbuster media rights rise may be over as no growth is expected in next cycle value: Report
The upcoming IPL domestic media rights auction is expected to maintain a flat value of around $5.4 billion.
The Indian Premier League’s next domestic media-rights auction may not deliver the kind of headline-grabbing escalation that transformed the tournament’s business landscape in the current cycle. Media Partners Asia has projected that the value of the IPL’s 2028–32 domestic rights could remain broadly flat at around $5.4 billion, pointing to a more mature phase in the competition’s commercial journey rather than another dramatic leap.
That forecast comes against the backdrop of the blockbuster 2023–27 cycle, when the BCCI sold IPL media rights for ₹48,390.32 crore across 410 matches, a deal that reset benchmarks not only for cricket but for the wider Indian sports market. With that auction having already stretched the market to unprecedented levels, the next cycle is increasingly being viewed through a different lens: sustainability, monetisation and per-match value rather than sheer top-line expansion.
Why MPA sees growth flattening
A major factor in MPA’s projection is the expected increase in the number of IPL matches in the next cycle. The current rights package covers 410 matches from 2023 to 2027, but a larger schedule in 2028–32 would mean the total value being spread across more games. That, in turn, could drag down the value per match even if the headline rights number remains similar to the present cycle.
The significance of that is substantial for the league’s wider ecosystem. Media rights sit at the heart of the IPL’s commercial model, and the competition’s central revenue pool has been one of the biggest reasons franchise valuations have surged in recent years. The IPL’s business value has climbed sharply in recent years, with half of the central media-rights and sponsorship revenues distributed equally among the 10 franchises. A flatter rights cycle would not diminish the league’s scale, but it would reduce the pace at which those central earnings can keep rising automatically.
At the same time, the broader market remains robust. IPL 2025 advertising revenues were projected to rise strongly, while JioStar also benefited from major audience gains after consolidating premium cricket on its platform. That commercial strength helps explain why the league remains such a powerful asset even as analysts begin to question whether another explosive bidding war is realistic.
The next IPL media-rights cycle, then, may be less about smashing records and more about whether the league can preserve premium value in an expanding inventory market. For broadcasters, franchises and the BCCI alike, that would still make it one of the most closely watched auctions in global sport.
