A Cricket Tournament That's in a Financial League of its Own

Indian Premier League sports a $3.5 billion business valuation
Top players can cost $1 million-plus in pre-season auctions

A shopper picks out a cricket bat on display at sports store in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, March 6, 2016. India is set to play its opening game against New Zealand at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur as part of the sixth ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament on March 15.
Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

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By Colin Simpson

March 27, 2016 at 10:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Many of the world’s top cricketers will gather in India next month to compete in a league that didn’t exist 10 years ago, yet now contributes billions of rupees to the country’s economy.

The VIVO Indian Premier League 2016 features eight franchise teams representing cities across the country competing in 60 matches in the explosive Twenty20 short-duration version of the game. The IPL follows on from the ICC World Twenty20, a competition featuring national teams that is currently approaching its climax in India.