Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Indian Premier League is one of the best and most expensive tournament in the history of sports. It has made huge profits over the years but this time around IPL’s ecosystem value declined 20% in 2025 amid geopolitical disruptions and uncertainty caused by the mega-auction and subsequent team reshuffles, according to a report by Brand Finance on Tuesday. In 2025, the overall IPL ecosystem value was $9.6 billion as compared to $12 billion last year, the brand valuation consultancy firm said in an annual report on the most valuable and the strongest IPL brands.
Its first trophy win this season couldn’t prevent a 10 percent drop in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s brand value (RCB). Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the most successful IPL team with five title wins, saw a drop of 24 percent. The fall was even steeper for others. Rajasthan Royals’ brand value dropped 35 percent, Sunrisers Hyderabad 34 percent, Kolkata Knight Riders 33 percent and Delhi Capitals 26 percent. Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants recorded single-digit value drops of 9 percent, 3 percent, and 2 percent, respectively. Gujarat Titans was the only team to see its brand value rise, a marginal growth of 2 percent, the report said.
The report blamed geopolitical disruptions, lost momentum and auction missteps that prompted teams to recalibrate their squad composition to result in subpar match-day performances for the fall. Additionally, since the government banned real money gaming (RMG), it has removed IPL’s “most aggressive sponsor category” triggering an annual loss of around ₹20,000 crore. This 20% decline brings IPL’s 2025 valuation to a five-year low, matching the drop seen in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and marks the first time since 2023 that its brand value has fallen below $10 billion.
MOST VALUABLE IPL BRAND VALUE IN IPL 2025
1) MI - $108M
2) RCB - $105M
3) CSK - $93M
4) KKR - $73M
5) GT - $70M
6) PBKS - $66M
7) LSG - $59M
8) DC - $59M
9) SRH - $56M
10) RR - $53M
Meanwhile, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is garnering significant attention in its third season with 103 million TV viewers in just 15 games, thanks to robust internet engagement. WPL 2025 season was supported by over 70 brands in the beauty, leisure, and financial services sectors, which increased franchise-level sponsorship revenue by 10% to 20% and central deals by about 10% a year.
