I never thought IPL media rights value will reach mind-boggling level in 2008: Sunil Gavaskar

Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar admitted that he did not foresee the media rights worth of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to reach the kind of unparalleled heights it attained in the auction when the tournament was first introduced. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will reportedly grow richer by as much as INR 45,000 crore for the broadcasting and television rights of the IPL.

The digital broadcasting and TV rights hit the INR 44,075 crore mark for the Indian subcontinent alone on the second day of the e-auction on June 13 (Monday). Gavaskar called it “terrific” and congratulated everybody concerned, adding that the quality of the coverage has been good because the numbers have always been good as well. “But this number today, which we have got is mind-boggling. I just want to congratulate the BCCI, the TV executives,” said the former India captain.

They will make sure that the viewer will get a big bang: Sunil Gavaskar

The IPL was first launched in 2008, and after 14 years and 15 editions, on Day 2 of the media rights auction, the price per match reached Rs 107.5 crore, and touched Rs 50 crore per match for digital rights in the Indian subcontinent for a base price of Rs 33 crore while the TV rights for the region reached Rs 57.5 crore per match, according to reports.

“I never thought that after the first year that the IPL started that these would be the numbers that they would be reaching after 15 years,” said Gavaskar, who formerly served as BCCI President (IPL Affairs), as quoted by India Today. “This is absolutely terrific and congratulations to everybody concerned. You are looking at the quality of the coverage. Because the numbers have always been good, the viewers loved it.”

Gavaskar believes that with big paycheques coming in, the viewers will get good coverage of the tournament in the coming seasons. “They (BCCI and the TV executives) will make sure that the viewer will get a big bang for the buck,” said the former World Cup winner.

The IPL is one of the most competitive and richest cricket tournaments in the world, featuring some of the best players in the world. Until 2021, the average value of each franchise was about 64 million USD, according to GQ India.