According to Forbes, Mumbai Indians (MI) are the most valuable Indian Premier League (IPL) team in 2022. The Mumbai-based franchise is worth $1.3 billion followed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with $1.15 billion.
As per Forbes, IPL has been a great source of income for investors. The franchise cricket league issued its first (and only) valuations of the league’s teams in 2009, putting the average value of the eight franchises at $67 million (Rs.5,13,27,52,750), a year after it made its debut. According to the reports by Forbes, the league’s average revenue has risen to $1 billion (Rs.79,69,00,52,000) as a result of the league’s recent expansion to ten clubs, representing a 24 per cent annualized growth rate.
The next teams on the list after MI and CSK are Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ($1.1 billion), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ($1.075 billion), and Delhi Capitals (DC) ($1.035 billion), followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ($1.025 billion), Rajasthan Royals (RR) ($1 billion), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ($970 million), Punjab Kings (PBKS) ($925 million), and Gujarat Titans (GT) ($850 million).
Private equity firms investing in other areas of the sports world have taken notice of these highly valuable teams. RedBird Capital bought a 15 per cent stake in RR last year. CVC Capital Partners also made a proposal in October of last year. It presently owns GT, for which it paid $750 million (Rs.57,484,375,500).
“The IPL is the most prominent cricket league in the world in terms of attracting sponsors and media rights. A lot of credit goes to founders of the IPL, who took ideas from the NBA and European soccer leagues, and good governance by the BCCI with regards to clear visibility of team funding and ensuring the tournament continued during Covid,” Forbes quoted Ajimon Francis, Managing Director at Brand Finance India, a brand valuation and strategy consultancy.
Meanwhile, the five-time champions are having a disastrous IPL season, they have played eight games so far and lost all of them. The Rohit Sharma-led team will face RR on April 30, 2022 at 7.30 PM IST at the DY Patil Stadium.