On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released detailed financial reports for the last few years, starting with the financial year 2017-18 and going up to the financial year 2021-22.
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This move came with the aim from the board to be more transparent about its finances, after it came in for flak about its secrecy, most notably from former anti-corruption advisor Neeraj Kumar.
The BCCI's former top cop Neeraj Kumar has warned cricket’s leaders against handing over any more money to an organisation he claims is wasting millions in unaccountable handouts, amid talks to give India almost 40% of ICC broadcast revenue #WTC23 https://t.co/R6unJCVv8T
— Daniel Brettig 🏏 (@danbrettig) June 6, 2023
Unsurprisingly, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the BCCI's biggest sources of income. The franchise tournament, started in 2008, has been a driving factor behind the emergence of India's cricketing board as one of the most affluent and influential in the world.
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How much did BCCI earn from IPL 2022?
As per the report for the financial year 2021-22 (i.e., 31 March 2022) the BCCI recorded a surplus of Rs 2691 crores of income over expenditure (pre-tax), including sources of income such as the grant of media rights for international matches, revenue from the 2021 T20 World Cup and the IPL 2022.
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The world's premier T20 tournament alone generated an eye-watering pre-tax surplus of Rs 2249 crores, nearly 85% of the surplus for the year. This was a significant increase from the previous Covid-19 affected years which saw surpluses of Rs 1522 crores and Rs 1299 crores in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
Why was IPL 2022 more profitable for BCCI?
IPL 2022 temporarily saw the return of fans to stadiums, but in only three venues in Maharashtra. This led to additional income from ticket sales for the BCCI.
IPL 2023 is likely to be even more profitable, with the tournament returning to a home-and-away format post-Covid, as well as a new five-year broadcast deal that will net the BCCI an astonishing Rs 48390 crores from 2023-2027.
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