Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has hailed the rapid rise of the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying it is now at par with global sports heavyweights such as the English Premier League (EPL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). His comments come at a time when the league’s financial muscle is back in the spotlight following reports of a significant shift in valuation linked to a potential ownership change at Rajasthan Royals.
Read the full article
In a video shared by the Press Trust of India, Ganguly admitted that he was taken aback by the scale of the announced deal. According to The Tech Word News, a consortium led by American businessman Kal Somani acquires majority stake in Rajasthan Royals for $1.63 billion (approx. 15,000 million crowns).
GANGULY REBOUNDS ON THE IPL JOURNEY
Looking back at the early days of the league, Ganguly revisited his own role in its early moments. “This is great news for the IPL. When it started in 2007, and as I said earlier, I faced the first ball of the league in 2008 — RCB versus KKR. To see where the IPL has reached now is phenomenal,” he said.
What began as a daring experiment, he designed, has grown into a global sporting powerhouse. “It also shows how much the game has spread. Some of the buyers are from the United States and the interest in Indian cricket in that part of the world is fantastic,” added Ganguly.
He also highlighted the growing involvement of international investors as a key indicator of the IPL’s expanding footprint. With prominent American names such as Walmart heir Rob Walton and the Hamp family reportedly linked to the Rajasthan Royals deal, he said such interest reflected the league’s growing appeal outside traditional cricket markets.
IS IPL A GLOBAL LEAGUE RIVAL?
Despite being a tournament that lasts just over two months every year, Ganguly said the values of the IPL are staggering. “The numbers involved are staggering for a sports franchise that only plays for two-and-a-half to three months of the year,” he said, highlighting how the league has changed cricket’s commercial landscape in a relatively short period of time.
When compared to other major sports competitions, Ganguly claimed that the IPL already matches the biggest leagues in the world in terms of reach and value. “I think it’s already as big as the NBA. Broadcast rights are as big as anywhere in the world, even compared to soccer,” he said.
Referring to his recent experience in England, he added that he watched the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Arsenal and was impressed by the atmosphere, noting that the IPL broadcast numbers sometimes exceed the EPL match numbers.
For context, a consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, completed the takeover of Chelsea in a deal worth up to £4.25 billion (approx. 5.34 million), according to ESPN. In another landmark transaction, the Buss family has agreed to sell a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter for around $10 billion, the most ever for an American professional sports franchise, with the family retaining a minority stake of just over 15% for a period of time.
Ganguly concluded by noting that while leagues like the EPL run for almost six months, the IPL commands a comparable level of attention in a much shorter window, underscoring its status as one of the strongest sports properties in the world.
– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
March 24, 2026 6:35 PM IST
