Explainer: BCCI’s richie-rich winning playbook

By beating Pakistan in the final of the 2025 Asia Cup in Dubai, the Indian cricket team pocketed USD 300,000, around Rs 2.6 crore, as the prize money. While the trophy row continues, the BCCI obliterated the aura around the cash prize by announcing a bigger bounty.The richest cricket board in the world showered its winning team with Rs 21 crore in cash, almost 10 times the winners’ cheque.Had it been any other team except Pakistan, the tournament would have come and gone without any fuss. But given the context, India versus Pakistan in the title clash was bound to be a different ball game. A final scoreline of 3-0 in the tournament added a punch to the whole affair.Attracting maximum eyeballsAs is the custom in international cricket, India, the No.1 ICC-ranked T20 team, was grouped with Pakistan (No.7) to generate maximum eyeballs. Sri Lanka (No.8), Bangladesh (No.9), Afghanistan (No.10), and Hong Kong (No. 24) comprised the ‘group of death’. Associate nations such as UAE (No.16) and Oman (No.20) in the same group meant that the two top-ranked teams would clash with each other maximum times in different stages of the tournament.Now consider this: the Indian hockey team beat defending champions South Korea 4-1 to win the Asia Cup on September 7. Hockey India announced rewards of Rs 3 lakh each for players and Rs 1.5 lakh each for the support staff. Hero of the Match Dilpreet Singh got a cheque for USD 200. Hockey India posted on X: Happiness doubled, Victory rewarded!Big bucks strategyWith Rs 30,000 crore in bank balance and earning Rs 1,000 crore as annual interest on the income alone, the richest cricket board in the world feels no harm in indulging its players. In 2024, the board officially became a billion-dollar empire with its record revenue of Rs 9,741.71 crore — a 48 per cent increase from the previous year’s Rs 6,558.8 crore.Managing record earningsAccording to the balance sheet, BCCI earned Rs 9,741.71 crore in the 2024 financial year. The Indian Premier League accounted for Rs 5,761 crore (59.1 per cent) of total income. It got Rs 1,042 crore (10.7 per cent) from the ICC under the revenue-sharing model. Media rights for international matches and domestic tournaments fetched Rs 813 crore (8.3 per cent). Even the Women’s Premier League earned Rs 378 crore for the BCCI, with officials seeing enormous potential for growth. Ticket sales, hospitality and commercial rights from international matches at home contributed only Rs 361 crore — 3.7 per cent of total income. That explains why an average cricket fan is at the bottom of BCCI’s priority list.Despite paying prohibitive ticket prices, spectators get overpriced pizzas and cold drinks inside the stadium. Drinking water taps run dry since morning on match days in stadiums across the country.BCCI earns more from miscellaneous sources — Rs 400 crore, or 4.1 per cent — than from all the fans combined at stadiums on match days.The US National Football League is the richest sports organisation in the world, with an annual revenue of $18 billion. IPL ringed in $16.4 billion in revenue for the 2024 season, placing it second on the list.TV advertisements, name on jerseyIt costs roughly up to Rs 40 lakh for a 10-second slot. The rate varies according to the significance and popularity of the match. To accommodate maximum ads, broadcasters sometimes cut away from crucial moments in the game. A team celebrating the fall of a wicket, new batsman arriving at the crease get easily chopped off for an advertisement.New lead sponsors, Apollo Tyres, will pay Rs 4.5 crore per match to BCCI till March 2028. The tyre firm’s logo will be featured on the jerseys of the men’s and women’s national teams across all formats. Previous sponsors Dream11 reportedly paid around Rs 4 crore per match.How board gives backIn 2024, BCCI earmarked Rs 1,200 crore for infrastructure development, Rs 350 crore for the platinum jubilee benevolent fund, and Rs 500 crore for cricket development. State associations got Rs 1,990.18 crore, with Rs 2,014 crore expected in the current year. Players’ pension, addressing men-women pay disparity, handholding of other sports, and CSR — BCCI has enough to take care of everyone, just maybe not the spectators.

Explainer: BCCI’s richie-rich winning playbook

World’s richest cricket board does not hold back in indulging players; spectators get short shrift

Gaurav Kanthwal

Explainer: BCCI’s richie-rich winning playbook

World’s richest cricket board does not hold back in indulging players; spectators get short shrift

Gaurav Kanthwal

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