Many different sports are played in India, from Cricket which is easily the most loved sport in the country to Hockey, football, kabaddi and badminton. Also, in India, the majority of the population have a favourite sport, a favourite team or closely followed players which are heavily supported. All of these bring us to find out and discover the top 5 biggest Indian sports leagues.
Indian Premier League
As already mentioned above, cricket is easily the most popular sport in India and IPL is the biggest cricket league. The Indian Premier League (IPL) consists of eight teams namely- Chennai Super Kings (2018 winners), Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians (2019 winners), Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad (previously Deccan Chargers).
The IPL is among the most followed Twenty20 cricket tournaments across the world. The tournament began in 2008 and it’s held between April to June yearly. By 2010, it was the foremost sporting event in India which was shown live on YouTube. In fact, the Indian Premier League is currently the most-attended cricket league in the world and in 2014, was number 6 in the ranks of average attendance among all the leagues. In 2018, the value of the IPL had risen to about $6.3 million
Also, Casual IPL betting is extremely popular amongst Indians while watching cricket. For instance, in 2019, over 400 million people viewed the Indian Premier League and it was estimated that up to ₹5,000 crore was bet on each match.
Indian Super League
It is not strange to see that the Indian Super League takes the second place as football is easily the most loved sporting event around the globe. The Indian Super League (ISL) refers to the Professional Football league in India. The Indian Super League was founded in 2013 and is made up of 10 different teams from 9 various states which contest from September to March yearly. They include North East United, Delhi Dynamos, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters, Chennai, Atletico de Kolkata, Mumbai City FC and FC Pune City.
Previously, most residents of India had solely supported European football leagues such as the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga and their topflight clubs; however, with the advent of the Indian Superleague, the ISL and local football teams have now got the support of Indian residents, especially those from Kerela, Goa, Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Football is growing fast in India and so is football betting. It’s estimated that over ₹10 lakh crores were bet during the World Cup 2018. While this is completely different from the Indian Super League, one might wonder the scale of betting on Indian Super League.
Pro Kabaddi League
The Pro Kabaddi league is one of the Indian favourites. The league got launched in 2014 and in its first season, it was able to acquire a whopping 435 million viewers, only next to the IPL which had 552 million viewers. In the final game of the first season between Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba, up to 86.4 million persons were recorded to have viewed the games. Consequently, a 74% stake in Marshal Sports, the parent company of the league got acquired by Star Sports.
The League also rewards the players generously. It comes with a top prize worth ₹3 crores, while ₹1.8 crores are given to the runner-up and the team which ends in third is rewarded with ₹1.2 crores. The MVP is also awarded 15 lakhs, and the top defender and raider are each awarded 10 lakhs.
Hockey India League
Hockey is also among the most loved sports in India; hence, the Hockey India League is another highly rated league in the country. Like the other sports leagues mentioned above, the Hockey India League is also a professional league.
Hockey India, the overall body which governs hockey founded the Hockey India League. The League is held for just 2 months (from January to February) and is made up of 6 teams which each play 10 games. These teams include Kalinga Lancers, Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Delhi Waveriders, Punjab Warriors, Mumbai Magicians and Ranchi Rhinos.
The advent of the Hockey India League brought about financial success and large followership in India; hence, like the Pro Kabaddi League, the right to broadcast it was also acquired by Star Sports.
Premier Badminton League
The Premier Badminton League takes our number 5 spot. Badminton is another sporting event heavily enjoyed by Indians; however, the Premier Badminton League is not as followed as the four discussed above. Upon its advent in 2013, it was referred to as the Indian Badminton League but was later on regarded as the Premier Badminton League before the commencement of its second season. In its first season, it was able to attract up to 21.7 million viewers over the course of the 18-day tournament (August 14 to 31, 2013). Consequently, the rights to broadcast were also acquired by Star Sports until 2025.
