Hurun ranks IPL teams' value

Fanatic Sports and Hurun India have put a number on the commercial scale of the Indian Premier League, valuing its 10 franchises at a combined ₹1.63 lakh crore in their 2026 sports teams report. Kolkata Knight Riders topped the list with a valuation range of ₹19,200 crore to ₹22,500 crore, ahead of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, according to the report released on May 19. The report is Hurun India’s inaugural multi-sport valuation study and covers 59 teams across six leagues, along with more than 1,300 athletes from 53 countries, according to Hurun’s report listing and syndicated coverage of the release. That broad framing matters because it places IPL teams not just against one another, but inside a larger Indian sports business market that Hurun and Fanatic Sports are trying to quantify. (storyboard18.com) ### Why did Kolkata Knight Riders finish first? Kolkata Knight Riders led the rankings at ₹19,200 crore to ₹22,500 crore, while Mumbai Indians were valued at ₹18,400 crore to ₹21,700 crore and Chennai Super Kings at ₹18,400 crore to ₹20,700 crore, Storyboard18 reported from the Hurun release. Royal Challengers Bengaluru were placed fifth at ₹16,700 crore. (money.rediff.com) Knight Riders Sports also operates teams in the Caribbean Premier League, ILT20 and Major League Cricket, and the report highlighted that wider network while discussing KKR’s scale. That gives KKR a larger platform than a single IPL season when sponsors, investors and commercial partners assess reach. (storyboard18.com) ### What is Hurun measuring if not only trophies? The ₹1.63 lakh crore league valuation points to business variables beyond match results alone, including league-wide media economics and audience scale. Storyboard18, citing the report, said IPL franchises collectively account for more than 100 million Instagram followers, while Hurun India founder and chief researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said capital is arriving at the top of Indian sport as consumer spending expands. (storyboard18.com) Anas Rahman Junaid said in comments carried by PTI that “India is standing at the base of that curve right now,” linking grassroots talent, incoming capital and a large consumer base. Hurun and Fanatic Sports also projected the average IPL franchise valuation could rise to nearly $15 billion by 2032, according to the same coverage. (storyboard18.com) ### How does that feed into player and sponsor economics? Virat Kohli topped the report’s all-time IPL earnings list with cumulative earnings of ₹230.2 crore across 18 seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, followed by Rohit Sharma at ₹227.2 crore and M.S. Dhoni at about ₹200 crore, according to Storyboard18 and PTI coverage of the report. The same report structure tracks franchise valuations, player earnings and athlete representation together rather than as separate markets. (money.rediff.com) That linkage gives teams a clearer commercial baseline when they negotiate player packages, sell sponsorship inventory or build support functions around data and performance. The report itself does not say franchise value determines salaries directly, but it does place team value, player earnings and representation in one comparable framework. (storyboard18.com) ### How large is the IPL relative to the rest of Indian sport? The Fanatic Sports-Hurun study describes itself as India’s first multi-sport, multi-league and athlete report, spanning six leagues and more than 50 nations, according to Hurun India’s own listing. ET Brand Equity, citing the release, said the report positioned Indian sport as an emerging asset class driven by rising discretionary spending, expanding leagues and investor interest. (storyboard18.com) The next reference point will be Hurun India’s full report materials and any follow-on league comparisons from Fanatic Sports, which published the inaugural rankings on May 19. Hurun India’s reports page lists both the main 2026 report and a short release for the sports teams study. (hurunindia.com 1) (hurunindia.com 2)