Explained: Why IPL is cricket's equivalent version to English Premier League

The Indian Premier League (IPL) season is just around the corner as 10 teams will battle it out to win the biggest prize in franchise cricket. Considered the biggest tournament in the world in terms of financial power, the IPL has well and truly captured the imagination of the global audience. For many, it is the equivalent version of the English Premier League, which has a worldwide audience and attracts a fan base from different corners of the world. So is the IPL really an equivalent version of the Premier League as we decode several aspects?

Financial model

Both the Premier League and the IPL have a huge financial pool and generate the highest income in their respective sports. The Premier League's increasing popularity has seen its stocks rise through broadcasting rights while the same is seen with the IPL. Currently, Sky Sports in England pays more than $4 billion to broadcast the Premier League while TNT Sports and Amazon Prime also have match broadcasting rights.

For the IPL, its TV deal sold in 2023 saw them bag more than $100 million. While it is comparatively low considering the Premier League, it is still the highest for any franchise cricket league in the world. IPL generates the majority of its income through its TV and digital rights sales which are currently held by Star Sports (TV) and Jio Cinema (Digital). According to a report, one IPL match is currently valued at more than $15 million.

Player attractions

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe may have never played in the Premier League, but that did not stop it from being the biggest football model. The Premier League is currently home to some of the finest talents in the world including Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and others. No other league in Europe currently has a star-studded line-up of players than the Premier League. While Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A have good potential talents, it is still miles away from the Premier League.

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In comparison, there are franchise cricket leagues in South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh and other countries. However, these leagues are no competition to the IPL as star names (mostly from India) don’t compete in the league. Indian stars like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma do not compete in other franchise leagues which has seen their stocks go down. Indian cricket players have a huge fan following on social media sites and them not competing in such leagues hampers the stocks of the leagues.

The 2007 launched Indian Cricket League (ICL) also suffered from a lack of star names competing in the league. The ICL was later abandoned with the rise of the IPL in India where players also got big salaries.

The fan base and rivalries

The English Premier League’s popularity is mostly derived from the history of the teams competing in it. Clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and others have been part of the English sports culture since the late 19th century. The loyal fan base has contributed to the rise of popularity in the nation. The old division football was transformed into the Premier League in the 1992-93 season under a new brand. Rivalries like Manchester United vs Liverpool and Tottenham vs Arsenal have been the feature of the Premier League which has contributed to the popularity of the league.

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On the other side, IPL does not have a rich history as clubs only came into existence in 2008 under the regime of star owners. However, like the Premier League, the IPL has delivered rivalries that have again attracted the fan base. The rivalry between Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians is considered equivalent to Manchester United vs Liverpool as the former two are the most successful clubs in the history of the tournament.  The majority of the IPL teams like Premier League sides have a loyal fan base including club shops and a good social media presence.

Earnings

Star players in the Premier League on average earn $250,000 per week while some big names like Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are on even bigger wages. Comparing that to the earnings of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, there isn’t too much difference. Virat Kohli reportedly earns $2 million for the eight weeks of IPL. Breaking it down, he earns, approximately $250,000 per week during the IPL season, which is the same in the Premier League.