RCB dethrones CSK to become IPL's most valuable franchise at $269 million

The Challengers have beaten the Kings – first on the field and now in the valuation game. After their maiden victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) just about a month ago, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have ousted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to become the most valuable IPL franchisee at $269 million.

 

CSK, which dominated the brand valuation chart for more than three years, slipped to the third slot at $235 million. The change in the pecking order was a result of RCB’s brand valuation shooting up by 18.5 per cent over last year, according to a brand valuation study by Houlihan Lokey, a global financial and advisory firm.

 

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians moved up to the second spot ($242 million) from the fourth position they earlier occupied.

 

Punjab Kings, who made a dramatic entry into the IPL finals to play against Virat Kohli’s RCB this year, recorded the highest incremental increase in brand value – growing by 39.6 per cent to hit $141 million in 2025.

 

CSK’s brand valuation, meanwhile, rose the least of the 10 teams (1.7 per cent). Many attribute this slip to the team’s poor performance, pointing out that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s magic is waning. 

 

Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) recorded the second lowest growth in valuation (5.1 per cent) to touch $227 million. This was attributed primarily to the team’s failure to feature among the top four, besides questions about team selection.

 

Sunrisers Hyderabad, owned by Sun Group’s Kalanithi Maran, slipped from fifth position in 2024 to seventh this year following its lacklustre performance in the IPL.

 

IPL’s overall valuation hit a new high of $18.5 billion – a 12.9 per cent jump over 2024. Its brand valuation touched $3.9 billion, a 13.8 per cent increase over the previous year.    

 

As for the IPL franchisees, despite their rising valuations, they don’t compare with their global counterparts. For instance, in 2024, Dallas Cowboys hit a brand valuation of $10 billion. In major leagues, such as NFL, NBA and Premier League, the top 100 teams collectively have a valuation of $441 billion, with the 100th ranked team scaling a valuation of $1.7 billion.