Top 3 Most Popular Cash-Rich and World-Class Sports Leagues in India

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The Indian nation is full of emotions and when it comes to their favorite team & players in the sports leagues, then it is not only the sports, but it also becomes their passion. The groups of Indian sports are getting connected to play several different sports in the league format. India made a late entry into the professional sports leagues. Now, India is making a great revolution in the sports industry. Controversy or loss in sports always made a national headline.

India is getting more recognition in the world because of many cash-rich and world-class sports leagues being played there. In the last few decades, India has introduced many professional sports leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), Premier Badminton League (PBL), Pro Wrestling League (PWL), Indian Super League (ISL), Prime Volleyball League (PVL), Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Karnataka Premier League (KPL), and many more.

If you are searching for the top 3 most popular cash-rich and world-class sports leagues in India then you have landed on the exact page. In this post, we will tell you about the top 3 most loved and played sports in India.

Top 3 Sports in India

A large number of different sports are being played in India such as Cricket which is the most demanded and the favorite sport of the country. The other sports like Badminton, Hockey, Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Kabaddi, etc. have also huge fans based in India. Most Indian people have their favorite sports. These people closely follow their beloved teams and favored players which are also tremendously supported by them.

All of this leads us to discover the top 3 sports in India which are also the much-appreciated sports in this terrain. Following are the top 3 sports in India.

Cricket
Football
Kabaddi

Top 3 Most Popular Cash Rich and World Class Sports Leagues in India

India is a country of multinational companies and big business tycoons like Ambani, Tata, Bajaj, etc. Among all the sports being played in India, the top 3 most popular cash-rich and world-class sports leagues in India, based on the popularity, league’s net worth, and fan base are as follows:

Indian Premier League (IPL)

As discussed earlier, cricket is the most awaited and loved sport in India. Indian Premier League is one of the biggest Twenty20 Cricket tournaments in the world of cricket. IPL is a Men’s professional cricket league based upon the T20 format. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initiated the Indian Premier League in 2007. The Zee Entertainment Enterprises provided the initiating funding for the IPL. The first ever sports league that has been broadcasted live on YouTube was the IPL. YouTube live telecasted the whole tournament in 2010.

IPL Season 1 was organized in 2008 and eight teams participated in the tournament. Those eight teams were Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Mohali. Afterward in 2010, the new IPL teams Kerala and Pune were introduced to the tournament.

In the last 14 years of the Indian Premier League, five teams were dissolved due to some reasons from time to time. Following are those five discontinued IPL teams:

Deccan Chargers
Pune Warriors India
Gujarat Lions
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Rising Pune Supergiant

Now in 2022, IPL consists of 10 teams. The IPL teams are as follows:

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

A total of 15 IPL seasons had been played in the last 15 years and the IPL Season 16 will be held next year in 2023.

IPL is at the top of the top 3 most popular cash-rich and world-class sports leagues in India. The tournament of IPL comes every year between March and May. The IPL Brand Value is around Rs.47,500 Crores (INR) which is $6.2 billion (US). You can also see the international cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League.

The total amount of IPL prize money is approximate Rs.50 crores (INR) which is around about $6.9 million (US). Following is the IPL prize money distribution:

IPL Winner – Rs.20 Crores ($2.8 Million)
IPL Runner up – Rs.12.5 Crores ($1.6 Million)
IPL 3^rd Position – Rs.8.75 Crores ($1.1 Million)
IPL 4^th Position – Rs.8.75 Crores ($1.1 Million)

Casual IPL betting is tremendously famous in the Indian nation. People use to bet on live IPL matches to make some easy money. The 2019 IPL was viewed by 400 million people and Rs.5,000 Crores (INR) was betted in each IPL match. It is also claimed by the authorities that the 2015 IPL Season contributed Rs.11.5 Billion (approximately $160 Million) to the GDP of India.

Indian Super League (ISL)

Indian Super League is one of the biggest football leagues in the world of football. ISL is the Men’s Professional top-tier football league in India. ISL is the second most popular, cash-rich, and world class sports league in India. This Indian football tournament is taking Indian football to the next level. AIFF (All Indian Football Federation) initiated the Indian Super League with the collaboration of FSDL (Football Sports Development Limited) in 2013 and the funding was provided by Hero MotoCorp.

Football is the most loved sport in the world. The inaugural season of the ISL was organized in 2014 and 8 football teams participated in that tournament. Those eight Indian football clubs were ATK, Chennaiyin FC, Delhi Dynamos FC, FC Goa, FC Pune City, Kerala Blasters FC, NorthEast United FC, and Mumbai City FC. Afterward in 2020, the new ISL teams Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal were introduced in the tournament.

Following are the ISL updates regarding the teams in the last 8 years of the Indian Super League:

Two ISL teams (ATK and Mohun Bagan) merged and became one (ATK Mohun Bagan Football Club).
One ISL team dissolved due to some reasons (FC Pune City).
One ISL team was renamed (Delhi Dynamos into Odisha FC).

Now in 2022, Indian Super League consists of 11 football teams in eleven cities across India. These eleven ISL clubs are as follows:

ATK Mohun Bagan
Bengaluru FC
Chennaiyin FC
FC Goa
Hyderabad FC
Jamshedpur FC
Kerala Blasters FC
Mumbai City FC
NorthEast United FC
Odisha FC
SC East Bengal

Eight seasons of the Indian Super League had been played in the last 8 years and the ISL Season 9 is just around the corner. The 9^th season of this tournament is expected to start in November 2022.

The football tournament of the Indian Super League is being played in the double round-robin format. The double round-robin format means that each football club of the Indian Super League will play two matches against the other. ISL Brand Value is not announced publicly but there is an estimated value of Rs.300-400 Crores (INR) which is around about $ 45 Million (US). You can also witness the international world-class footballers playing in the Indian Super League.

The total amount of ISL prize money is Rs.15.5 crores (INR) which is approximately $2 million (US). The ISL prize money distribution is as follows:

ISL Winner – Rs.6 Crores (INR)
ISL Runner up – Rs.3 Crores (INR)
ISL League Stage Winner (Table Topper) – Rs.3.5 Crores (INR)
ISL 3^rd Position – Rs.1.5 Crores (INR)
ISL 4^th Position – Rs.1.5 Crores (INR)

Important Facts About the ISL Prize Money Distribution

If the ISL winner is also the league stage winner (table topper), then they will get total prize money of Rs.9.5 Crores (INR).
If the runner-up is also the league stage winner, then they will get total prize money of Rs.6.5 Crores (INR).
If the team in the 3^rd or 4^th position is also the league stage winner, then they will get total prize money of Rs.5 Crores (INR).

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)

Kabaddi is a physically challenging game. It is a sport of power & strength. Vivo Pro Kabaddi League is at the third position in the top 3 most popular cash-rich and world-class sports leagues in India. Its popularity is increasing day by day and crossing the Indian shores. PKL is a Men’s Professional Kabaddi League in India and one of the biggest kabaddi tournaments in the world of kabaddi. Pro Kabaddi League has established a professional kabaddi platform for the local Indian kabaddi player. PKL has also reshaped the rustic Indian sport into uber cool touch sport.

The inaugural season of the Pro Kabaddi was launched in 2014 in which 8 teams participated. Those eight PKL teams were Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriors, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Dabang Delhi, Patna Pirates, Telugu Titans, Puneri Paltan, and U Mumba. Afterward in 2017, four new kabaddi teams Haryana Steelers, Gujarat Fortune Giants, UP Yoddha, and Tamil Thalaivas were introduced in the tournament.

In 8 years of Pro Kabaddi history, only one PKL team was renamed due to sponsorship reasons. That PKL team is Gujarat Fortune Giants renamed into Gujarat Giants.

Now in 2022, Pro Kabaddi League consists of 12 teams in twelve cities across India. These 12 PKL teams are as follows:

Bengal Warriors
Bengaluru Bulls
Dabang Delhi KC
Gujarat Giants
Haryana Steelers
Jaipur Pink Panthers
Patna Pirates
Puneri Paltan
Tamil Thalaivas
Telugu Titans
U Mumba
UP Yoddha

PKL Season 9 is just around the corner and is going to entertain its fans in December 2022. This tournament of the Pro Kabaddi League follows the format of a double round-robin in which each PKL team plays two matches against the others. The PKL Brand Value is Rs.262 Crores (INR) Which is $33 Million (US). The kabaddi fans can also witness the international world-class kabaddi players participating in the Pro Kabaddi League. Many of these foreign kabaddi players are from Korea and Iran.

The total amount of PKL prize money is Rs.8 crores (INR) which is $1 million (US). The distribution of this Rs.7.50 crores (INR) out of Rs.8 crores (INR) among the teams is as follows:

PKL Positions	Prize Money (Reward)
PKL Winner	Rs.3 Crores (INR)
PKL Runner Up	Rs.1.8 Crores (INR)
PKL 3^rd Position	Rs.90 Lakhs (INR)
PKL 4^th Position	Rs.90 Lakhs (INR)
PKL 5^th Position	Rs.45 Lakhs (INR)
PKL 6^th Position	Rs.45 Lakhs (INR)

There are also some individual awards in the Pro Kabaddi League. The distribution of the Rs.50 lakhs (INR) out of Rs.8 crores (INR) among the individuals is as follows:

Individual Award	Prize Money (Reward)
Most Valuable Player (MVP)	Rs.15 Lakhs (INR)
Best Raider	Rs.10 Lakhs (INR)
Ace Defender	Rs.10 Lakhs (INR)
Sports Debutant	Rs.8 Lakhs (INR)
Best Male Referee	Rs.3.5 Lakhs (INR)
Best Female Referee	Rs.3.5 Lakhs (INR)

We will keep updating all the information about the IPL T20 schedule, PKL Schedule, IPL Schedule, IPL live matches, PKL live matches, IPL live matches, and much more. So, keep visiting T20Slam.com.