INDIA’S SPORTS ECONOMY crossed the $2 billion mark for the first time in 2025, reaching ₹18,864 crore ($2.134 billion), up 13.4% from ₹16,633 crore a year earlier, according to “WPP Media’s Sporting Nation: Building a Legacy” report.
Cricket remains the overwhelming driver of the market. At ₹16,704cr, cricket’s share of the total sports economy rose to 89% in 2025, up from 85% in 2024. All other sports combined accounted for the remaining 11% per cent.
The Indian Premier League remained central to this growth cycle. The report also highlighted the role of India’s Champions Trophy win, the Indian women’s team’s ODI World Cup victory, and the continued rise of the Women’s Premier League in strengthening cricket’s commercial appeal.
Media spends rose 19.8% to ₹9,571cr and accounted for 51% of the total sports economy, making media the single largest contributor to sector growth. Sponsorship grew 7% to ₹7,943cr, accounting for 42% of the total sector, while celebrity endorsements rose 10.3% to ₹1,350cr.
WPP Media said the industry has nearly doubled from ₹9,530cr in 2021 to ₹18,864cr in 2025, translating into a roughly 19% CAGR.
Digital continued to outpace television in sports advertising. Digital sports ad spends rose 24% to ₹4,449cr in 2025, while television grew around 16% to ₹5,117cr.
WPP Media said this underlined how sports monetisation is now being driven by a more mature linear-plus-digital model, especially around premium cricket inventory.
Cricket’s dominance extended beyond media. IPL team sponsorship crossed the ₹1,000cr mark for the first time, reaching ₹1,033cr.
WPP Media said the milestone showed that franchise-side monetisation had become structurally bankable rather than opportunistic.
Resilience despite regulatory shifts
Despite regulatory challenges, including the withdrawal of Real Money Gaming companies, the market maintained momentum. Traditional sectors such as BFSI, auto and FMCG stepped in to absorb premium inventory, ensuring continuity in growth
The report cited Apollo Tyres replacing Dream11 on the Indian cricket team jersey at a higher rate as a key proof point.
WPP Media said the market had absorbed the loss and improved its advertiser mix. “The pie didn’t shrink; it was reshuffled with higher-quality brand participants,” the report noted.
The report also said sponsorship growth in 2025 came more from premiumisation than expansion in inventory.
The 7% rise in sponsorship value was led by asset value correction and improved monetisation, rather than by simply adding more properties.
Celebrity endorsements also showed a shift in nature. Endorsements rose to ₹1,350 crore in 2025, up 10.3% year-on-year, but WPP Media said top athletes were increasingly treating such deals as strategic equity and investment platforms rather than fee-based arrangements.
The report noted that cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer are setting up family offices and evaluating endorsements in a more strategic way.
It also said athlete partnerships are increasingly being integrated with team and tournament ecosystems, creating stacked commercial assets for brands.
Emerging sports, however, remained under pressure. Revenue from emerging sports fell 12.2% in 2025, with the absence of the Indian Super League leaving a major commercial gap.
New properties such as the Neeraj Chopra Classic, World Pickleball League, Prime Volleyball League and the revived Hockey India League added some momentum, but WPP Media said event-led spikes were still not replacing league-led continuity.
Ashwin Padmanabhan, chief operating officer, WPP Media South Asia, said: “The Indian sports economy crossing the $2 billion milestone marks a significant moment in its evolution, reflecting sustained growth and increasing structural maturity, led by the success of the Indian Premier League. While cricket continues to anchor the ecosystem, we are also seeing encouraging momentum across other segments of the sports landscape. The opportunity ahead lies in building on this foundation to create a more diverse and scalable multi-sport ecosystem. This will be driven by stronger grassroots participation and continued investment across infrastructure, innovation, and fan engagement.”
Vinit Karnik, managing director – Content, Sports & Entertainment, WPP Media South Asia, noted: “Sport today sits at the intersection of culture and commerce, and brands are increasingly becoming part of the narrative rather than just sponsors. The evolution of leagues like the Indian Premier League has shown how deeply integrated partnerships can drive both fan engagement and commercial impact. We are seeing a shift from visibility-led associations to more immersive, story-driven collaborations. This is fundamentally changing how brands unlock value in the sports ecosystem.”
The report suggests that future growth will depend on media innovation, wider fan engagement, and sustained brand investment, alongside efforts to build a broader multi-sport ecosystem beyond cricket.
