The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) generated revenue of Rs 9,741.7 crore in the 2023–24 financial year, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) - the golden goose of the Indian board - alone contributing 59 per cent of the revenue at Rs 5,761 crore. With the media rights of the league constantly going up due to its audience from diversified geographies, courtesy of the vast Indian diaspora, the IPL has a magic multiplier effect on Indian cricket. Besides giving BCCI a lump sum revenue, the IPL also provides a level playing field for emerging youngsters and uncapped players from domestic cricket. Due to the IPL’s tremendous success rate, BCCI’s position in world cricket as the richest cricket board remains unscathed.

With fans at the forefront of BCCI’s revenue growth, the board has also shown uncanny wisdom in its selection of deals - both sponsorships and broadcasting - while promoting the game across the country and ensuring excellence across all levels, a report by Rediffusion stated.

While the IPL is the engine of growth, BCCI’s earnings are not one-dimensional. It earned Rs 361 crore from the media rights of non-IPL events, including rights for Team India series. At present, Viacom18 holds the rights for Indian team matches, while Disney Star and Viacom18 have secured the IPL rights for the 2023–2027 cycle.

“BCCI has immense potential to commercialise traditional formats like the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, or CK Nayudu Trophy to shore up non-IPL revenues. Moreover, the board has close to Rs 30,000 crore in reserves, which brings in about Rs 1,000 crore a year in interest alone. These revenues aren’t just sustainable—they are poised to grow 10–12 per cent annually, thanks to expanding sponsorships, media deals, and matchday earnings,” said Sandeep Goyal, Chief of Rediffusion.

BCCI’s earnings from different revenue streams have also strengthened its position in the global order of world cricket. While its income from domestic cricket is bare minimum, BCCI is likely to consider having a stake in other leagues at a governing level to scale up.