Who Owns the IPL Teams? The Business Behind the Ten Franchises
Film stars, conglomerates and private equity. Who is behind each team, and where the money comes from.
Every IPL team is a private business. The BCCI runs the league, but the ten franchises are owned by companies, families and investors who pay heavily for the right to take part and hope to earn it back. Here is who is behind each one.
The ten owners
| Team | Owned by |
|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd, a company that grew out of India Cements |
| Mumbai Indians | Reliance Industries, through its sports company Indiawin Sports |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, with actor Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | United Spirits, part of the drinks company Diageo |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Sun TV Network |
| Rajasthan Royals | Royal Sports Group, led by Manoj Badale |
| Delhi Capitals | GMR Group and JSW Group, in equal shares |
| Punjab Kings | KPH Dream Cricket, whose owners include Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia and Mohit Burman |
| Gujarat Titans | Torrent Group, which agreed in 2025 to buy a majority stake from the investment firm CVC Capital |
| Lucknow Super Giants | RPSG Group, led by Sanjiv Goenka |
What a team costs
The best guide to a franchise's value is what the newest ones cost. When the league expanded to ten teams for 2022, RPSG paid ₹7,090 crore for Lucknow and CVC Capital paid ₹5,625 crore for Gujarat. Both figures dwarfed what the original eight owners had paid in 2008.
Where the money comes from
- Media rights. The biggest source by far. The TV and digital rights for 2023 to 2027 were sold for a combined ₹48,390 crore, and a large share of that money is passed on to the franchises.
- Sponsorship. The league has a title sponsor, currently Tata, and each team sells shirt, kit and stadium sponsorships of its own.
- Match days. Ticket sales, hospitality and food and drink at home games.
- Merchandise. Shirts, caps and flags, a market that grows every year.
Where the money goes
The biggest cost is players. Every team has the same auction purse, ₹120 crore for the 2025 season, which is meant to keep the league competitive: a rich owner cannot simply outspend everyone else on the squad. Coaches, travel, training facilities and marketing make up much of the rest.
Why it matters to fans
Owners shape a team's personality. Some are hands-off, others very visible in the stands. Stable ownership, good scouting and patient coaching tend to matter more than money alone. The two most successful teams, Chennai and Mumbai, have both had stable ownership since the first season.
Stats in this chapter are correct to the end of the 2025 IPL season.
