Will IPL be as popular in five years or fade away?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is among the most revered cricket leagues in the world. The quality of cricket, the presence of top-notch cricketers from across the globe, and relentless entertainment makes the league special. This year, the 18th edition of the tournament is being held, and fans are flocking to the stadiums in each and every match to witness their favourite teams and star players in action.

However, will the IPL be as popular as it is right now in the times to come? This is a fascinating question. The popularity of a tournament stems from various factors. For a country like India, cricket was, has and will always be a religion.

One of the reasons behind the question is that stalwarts like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, are expected to hang up their boots by then. While there is no denying that these icons of Indian cricket will not play forever, it is important to acknowledge the emergence of talented youngsters every season, who are enthralling the cricket fraternity with their surreal skill sets. IPL has always been a platform for young Indian cricketers to showcase their potential against the best in the world, and that too in front of a large audience.

In IPL 2025, youngsters like Priyansh Arya, Ayush Mhatre, Digvesh Rathi, and many others have shown that there isn't any lack of talent in the country. The same can be said about young overseas cricketers. The likes of Noor Ahmad, Tristan Stubbs, and Sherfane Rutherford are exhibiting their talents with elan. Therefore, the absence of stalwarts might affect the league's popularity momentarily, but new stars will be born, and they will rejuvenate things.

Further, in this day and age, social media plays a massive role in everyone's lives. Previously, fans from different parts of India didn't have too many ways to interact with each other. Now, there are banters aplenty on social media. This has played a key role in the league's craze. A Mumbai Indians fan, while living in the USA, can easily take a dig at a Royal Challengers Bengaluru supporter, who lives in Sri Lanka, after a win for Hardik Pandya and Co. in the IPL.

Fans are also able to connect more with their favourite teams, know about the camaraderie in the dressing room, and even watch some practice sessions from the comfort of their homes. IPL franchises share this and much more on their social media handles to keep the fans connected.

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IPL's viewership has also grown every season, especially in recent years. The IPL 2024 season achieved a cumulative reach of more than 40 crore (400 million) viewers on Star Sports, marking a significant increase of 15% from the previous season. There was also a 17% growth in TV ratings compared to IPL 2023, with total watch time reaching 12,380 crore minutes.

Digital streaming numbers were also impressive. JioCinema, the official streaming platform, reported a record-shattering 620 million viewers during IPL 2024, a 38% rise from IPL 2023. The average session duration increased from 60 minutes in 2023 to 75 minutes in 2024. The platform also garnered a whopping 26 billion views and 350 billion minutes of watch time.

Improvements in broadcasting techniques and the introduction of regional languages have also helped the league cater to a wider audience. In the coming years, IPL will only go from strength to strength.