CHENNAI: Two-time Indian Premier League champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru continue to retain the top spot among the ten franchises with a brand value of USD 312 million as per the latest study by global investment bank Houlihan Lokey.
While RCB's brand value has always remained high, two championship seasons in the last two years meant, they have recorded a 16.0 per cent increase in brand value from US$269.0 million in 2025. Mumbai Indians remained second with a brand value of USD 264 million, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders (USD 245 million). Despite three underwhelming seasons, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (USD 244 million) are placed fourth.
Apart from the brand and business value of franchises that continue to grow, the league in itself has seen a change in landscape in terms of viewership. Though there were concerns over drop in the television ratings in the first half of the 2026 season, the report says that it is an indication of migration from linear to digital platforms.
"The EY-FICCI 2026 report records that IPL 2025 reached 1.18 billion viewers across television and digital. Of these, 652 million watched online—more than half the total—while television accumulated 514 billion watch-minutes, underscoring how firmly digital now sits alongside linear television as a primary viewing platform for the league," the study read.
"The opening weekend alone reached 515 million viewers across platforms, with combined watch-time of 32.6 billion minutes, up 26% on the prior season’s opening weekend. At the match level, RCB vs. SRH—the March 28 season opener—drew 426 million views on JioHotstar alone, with RR vs. RCB and MI vs. RCB following at 410 million and 406 million, respectively. Connected TV (CTV) is the structural story of the season, growing 26% in reach and 20% in consumption year on year. The total CTV reach from the entire previous season was matched by a single game this year, Game 45, alone. This matters commercially because CTV viewers watch on larger screens in longer sessions with higher advertising attention, commanding premium CPMs that are more valuable per impression than conventional linear television spots," it added.
Meanwhile, the business value of IPL has climbed to a whopping USD 20.6 billion with 11.4 per cent growth. The league's stand-alone brand value also rose by 10.3 per cent to USD 4.3 billion. Since 2023, the IPL has added more than USD 1.1 billion in brand value.