India’s sports economy crossed the $2 billion mark for the first time, increasing by 13.4% year-on-year to reach $2.13 billion (Rs 18,864 crore). The industry has doubled in size in four years, accounting for an approximate 19% CAGR. Cricket accounts for 89% of total recorded receipts, up from 85% in 2024. The share of emerging sports has contracted to 11%. Cricket alone (Rs 16,704 crore) is now bigger than total Indian sports industry in 2024 (Rs 16,633 crore).
The valuation, as per WPP Media’s ‘Sporting Nation: Building a Legacy’ report, takes into account three principal sources of revenue: Sponsorship (comprising Ground, Team, and Franchise fees), Athlete Endorsements, and Advertising Expenditures.“Sport today sits at the intersection of culture and commerce, and brands are increasingly becoming part of the narrative rather than just sponsors. The evolution of leagues like the Indian Premier League has shown how deeply integrated partnerships can drive both fan engagement and commercial impact,” said Vinit Karnik, managing director – Content, Sports & Entertainment, WPP Media South Asia.“We are seeing a shift from visibility-led associations to more immersive, story-driven collaborations. This is fundamentally changing how brands unlock value in the sports ecosystem,” he continued.The overall Indian sports economy is dominated by media spends — nearly 50% of the total industry — at Rs 9,571 crore with cricket spends alone standing at a staggering Rs 9,026 crore. Sponsorships come second at Rs 7,943 crore with IPL teams crossing Rs 1,000 in team sponsorships. Lastly, celebrity endorsements stand at Rs 1,350 crore, accounting for 7% of the entire economy.The biggest takeaway of the report is cricket’s growth and other sports lagging behind. In absolute terms, cricket has grown 17.9% year-on-year and accounts for 81% of sponsorship spends, 87% of endorsements and 95% of media spends.IPL, India’s Champions Trophy title, India winning the ODI Women’s World Cup and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) all kept the cricket juggernaut growing despite the impact of the Real Money Gaming (RMG) ban.ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta labelled India as the “anchor market” while admitting cricket has become “incontrovertibly” globalised.“India is indeed the anchor market of world cricket. Its enormous fan base, financial strength, and time-tested affinity for the sport provide a platform that benefits the entire ecosystem. What is incontrovertibly evident at ICC events, however, is that the ship is sailing far beyond any single location,” he wrote in a column for the report.Gupta said with India’s triumph at home in the Women’s ODI World Cup, the game can expect to grow rapidly going forward as it has fully unlocked an influential market.“…India’s triumph at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, in the 50-over format and secured on home soil, carried with it enormous value. When a market of India’s scale and influence embraces women’s cricket with such passion, the ripple effects are felt far and wide,” he observed.No ISL hurts other sports
Bengaluru FC player Sunil Chhetri in a file photo. (ANI)
A major contributor to the 12.2% dip for ‘Emerging Sports’ came because of the postponement of India’s top football competition – the Indian Super League (ISL) – getting postponed to February this year. Rest of the competitions and franchise competitions, such as Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), stayed on course.The report noted that considering 2024 witnessed the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which ignited a surge in fan interest and brand presence across disciplines, that was not the case in 2025.Cricket continues to lead the celebrity endorsement table, but Emerging Sports athletes are slowly gaining commercialcredibility. In terms of digital data and social media conversations, the cricketers and cricket dwarf the non-cricket aspects.If Virat Kohli (10,742,000) and Rohit Sharma (10,341,000) lead the charts among cricketers on social media, the closest on non-cricket side are Neeraj Chopra (445,000) and Sunil Chhetri (149,000).
