Did hosting the IPL abroad affect team revenues?


IPL 2023 Winner

hosting the IPL abroad did affect team revenues, but not in just one direction — some revenue streams dipped, while others were reimagined or even grew. Here's how it played out:

📉 What Teams Lost

1. Matchday Revenues (Biggest Hit)

  • No ticket sales = ₹0 from stadium gate collections

  • No in-stadium food, beverage, or merchandise revenue

  • Teams like CSK and MI lost out on strong home-ground monetization

➡️ Impact: Teams lost ₹15–₹25 crore each in direct matchday earnings

2. Local Sponsorships & Activations

  • Brands tied to specific cities/stadiums (e.g. local banks, regional FMCG brands) pulled out or reduced spend

  • No fan zones or physical activations for regional sponsors

➡️ Impact: Lower demand for tier-2/tier-3 sponsor slots

📈 What Teams Gained or Adapted

3. Broadcast & Central Sponsorships Boom

  • BCCI earned record revenue from global TV rights (Disney+ Hotstar, Star Sports)

  • Franchise share from central pool stayed strong or even grew, especially in 2020

  • Brands spent heavily on screen-time exposure due to lack of on-ground visibility

➡️ Net Result: Bigger share of central revenue pie for franchises

4. Digital-First Sponsorships

  • Surge in interest from edtech, gaming, and fintech sectors

  • Franchises like RCB, KKR, MI leveraged their social media & OTT content to onboard new digital sponsors

➡️ Revenue shift: From “stadium-led” to “screen-led”

5. Cost Optimization

  • Hosting abroad meant:

    • Fewer travel legs (only 3 venues in UAE)

    • Lower logistics cost compared to 8 home stadiums

    • Centralized accommodation and transport

➡️ Impact: Slight savings on operational costs

💸 Bottom Line

Revenue Area Impact
Ticketing & on-ground sales ❌ Huge loss
Local sponsorships ⚠️ Reduced or renegotiated
Central sponsorship/TV pool ✅ Stable or growing
Digital branding/social media ✅ New growth avenues
Operational costs ✅ Slightly reduced

So while teams did lose some traditional revenue, they pivoted smartly — especially in 2020 — to digital-first models and centralized earnings to keep the financial engine running.

Want a team-wise breakdown of estimated earnings or how much BCCI shared from the central pool in 2020?