New Brand Finance research data reveals IPL’s ecosystem value dropped by 20% from $12.0 billion (2024) to $9.6 billion this year
MUMBAI, 9 December 2025 – The Indian Premier League (IPL) saw a decline of 20% in its ecosystem value from USD12.0 billion in 2024 to USD9.6 billion this year amidst geopolitical tensions in the region and uncertainty caused by the mega-auction and subsequent team reshuffles, according to the IPL 2025 report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. As the conflict intensified, several IPL matches, including the playoffs, were suspended for one week by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to safety concerns.
Despite this, the IPL brand demonstrated a promising growth over the past decade with the only other drop in value dating back to 2020, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting bio-bubbles. The IPL had also achieved a ground-breaking online broadcasting record with over 384.6 billion minutes of watch-time in the 2025 season, highlighting the league’s positive evolution in engagement and accessibility.
This year, the ranking for the most valuable team is dominated by Mumbai Indians (MI), with a value of USD108 million, rising from its second-place last year. The brand also retains its third position in terms of brand strength with a BSI score of 85.0/100. This performance is a result of a combination of its on-field performance alongside the support of passionate fans and highly engaged owners fostering inclusivity and expanded the team’s fan base.
Reigning as this year’s IPL champion after an 18-year long drought propelled the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to become the second most valuable brand at USD105 million. The team also climbed to second place in the brand strength rankings with a BSI score of 89.5/100, driven by the support of an outstanding fan base, innovative engagement initiatives, and a strong digital presence. Sponsor interest remains robust, but an unfortunate stampede incident during the celebrations of RCB’s first trophy at their home stadium generated significant negative sentiments and requires the team to make concerted efforts to restore positive momentum both on and off the field.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), ranked third this year, experienced uncertainties around team composition, leadership clarity, and player combinations throughout the season. However, its on-field struggles in the IPL 2025 season have not dented the brand’s strength as the franchise remains the strongest in the league for three years in a row, with a BSI score of 92.6/100. CSK’s brand strength is attributed to the team’s passionate fan base, digital engagements and loyal sponsors.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is making strong headlines in its third season, reaching 103 million TV viewers within just 15 games, supported by strong digital engagements. In addition, more than 70 brands across beauty, lifestyle, and financial services backed the 2025 season, contributing to a franchise-level sponsorship revenue increase of 10% to 20% and central deals rising by around 10% annually.
Ajimon Francis, Managing Director, Brand Finance India, commented:
"The IPL stands as a testament to the perseverance and transformative power of sports in the face of volatile geopolitical environments. Despite a loss in momentum and a 20% brand value drop, the league navigated regional conflicts and demonstrated a promising evolution in value creation reflecting strong engagement on and off the field.”
India’s economic strength and its vast consumer potential have enabled Brand IPL to deliver unparalleled reach throughout India and across continents to sports fans in Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, proving to be an enduring magnet for brands seeking scale and impact.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
