Cricket fans in India will now have to dig deeper into their pockets to watch the IPL live matches, as the government has increased GST at 28% to 40% at premium sports events. A sharp increase is placed IPL tickets to the highest tax group, along with casinos, racing clubs and luxury goods. According to official instructions, the GST increase applies to “joining casinos, racing clubs, at any place with casinos or racing clubs or sports events such as IPL”.
New rates are part of the wider GST reform focused on high -quality discretion expenditure and are ready from 22 September 2025. Within the previous structure, a ticket for 1,000 RS of 28% of GST attracted the total cost. With a revised 40% rate, the same ticket will now cost R 1 400 – R 120 jump for each spent RS 1 000, which represents a 12% increase in efficient costs.
Here is a schedule of how GST increases different ticket prices:
- Ticket Rs 500: Rs 700 (up from R 640)
- Ticket 1,000 Rs: 1 400 Rs (out of 1 280 Rs)
- Ticket 2,000 RS: 2 800 Rs (out of 2 560 Rs)
The uniform 40% tax applies to all IPL tickets and other high -value sports events, considering them as irrelevant or luxurious entertainment. While the GST Council framed the hike in the alignment of income, it effectively distinguishes sports events at the local level from high -ranking commercial tournaments.
For IPL participants, the increased GST increases to the total cost of the match for the match, which may further increase as soon as stadium fees and booking fees are included. While the government specifically mentioned the IPL, it remains unclear whether other main leagues, such as Kabaddi League (PKL) and Indian Super League (ISL), also fall within 40% of the tax group.
Does the new GST India affect international matches?
Good news for fans of the Indian cricket team – unlike IPL, international matches are likely to remain intact. Tickets for Indian games and other recognized sports events continue to attract standard 18% of GST, while prices for 500 RS remain exempted.
As the cricket calendar warms, India first appears in the ACC Asia Cup in the UAE before hosting West Indies for the test series of two matches from October 2, 2025.
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Published:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
4 September 2025
