The media rights of the Indian Premier League fetched astronomical value in an e-auction conducted by the BCCI between June 12-14. Star Network retained the TV broadcast rights.
File photo of Sourav Ganguly. (courtesy: PTI)
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- IPL broadcast rights tripled
- IPL closes $6 billion deal
- The league organized by BCCI is now one of the most valuable league in the world
Sourav Ganguly took to Twitter to express his happiness after the astronomical sale of the media rights to the Indian Premier League on Tuesday, June 14. The auction turned the IPL into one of the most valuable sporting goods in the world, making it a $6 billion industry. As the IPL did not make many think possible, Ganguly reminded everyone that the game was not just about money.
The former India captain and the current head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India said that this would be a good motivation for the young players to perform better and in turn would be beneficial for the Indian team.
“Sports has never been just about money…it’s about talent. IPL e auction showed how strong the game is in our country. For all the young players, their potential and numbers should be the biggest motivation to take Team India to the highest level. This will create the infrastructure to produce the best players in the world,” Ganguly wrote in a series of tweets.
“Sport is a religion in this country. My special congratulations to all the players in the last 50 years, when sport was near nothing, and above all the fans and supporters who come in numbers in front of stadiums and TV sets,” he continued.
He congratulated his colleagues in BCCI for putting in hours planning for the auction process. He thanked the broadcasting network for putting faith in the development of the league.
“Congratulations to Star, Viacom, Times Internet for taking the auction to new heights. Indian cricket fans you do it @JayShah,” concluded Ganguly.
Secretary Jay Shah earlier spoke to news agency PTI and said that the BCCI has already sought two and a half months’ time from the ICC. There was speculation that the IPL would be expanded in the future, and this was confirmed at the auction with a section of the BCCI stating that the IPL could be a 94-game tournament over the next five years.
Shah further said that they will conduct women’s IPL from next year which will be a big boost for cricket in the country.