by The Board of Control for Cricket in India is heading toward its most profitable year ever.
The BCCI has projected a net surplus of ₹6,700 crore (around $761 million) for 2025-26, driven by strong earnings from hosting duties, media rights, and ICC events.
The figures come from the BCCI’s annual budget document reviewed by the Times of India.
This marks a tenfold jump from eight years ago, when the board posted just ₹666 crore in 2017-18.
BCCI Expects Record ₹6,700 Crore Surplus This Financial Year
Asia Cup Boosts Revenue
Hosting the 2025 Asia Cup added over ₹100 crore to BCCI’s earnings, even though the tournament was held in the UAE due to political issues with Pakistan.
The budget document shows increased income from hosting fees, media rights, and ICC participation fees.
Financial Highlights:
- Projected surplus: ₹6,700 crore ($761 million)
- Asia Cup contribution: Over ₹100 crore
- Increase from international tours: ₹109 crore
- Media rights growth: ₹138 crore
- Tenfold growth since 2017-18
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IPL Still the Big Money Maker
The Indian Premier League remains the board’s main income source, contributing nearly ₹5,000 crore of the total surplus.
But BCCI has reduced its dependence on the league compared to earlier years.
In 2018-19, IPL made up 95% of the board’s ₹2,100 crore surplus. Now that the share has dropped, as other revenue streams have grown.
Revenue Distribution for 2025-26:
| Source | Percentage |
|---|---|
| IPL | 76% |
| BCCI Operations | 20% |
| WPL | 4% |
The budget shows BCCI is spreading its income across more sources, including better media deals and a bigger share from ICC events.
IPL Valuation Concerns
Despite strong earnings, the IPL’s overall valuation has fallen by about ₹16,000 crore in the last two years.
Industry reports blame the merger of Jio and Star broadcasters for the drop.
The ban on real-money gaming apps has also hurt sponsorship income, as these companies were major IPL advertisers.
Women’s Cricket Gets Limited Share
BCCI has allocated ₹96 crore for women’s domestic cricket in 2025-26.
This is only 26% of the surplus generated by the Women’s Premier League, which brings in over ₹350 crore annually.
Men’s domestic cricket has been given ₹344 crore, including ₹111 crore specifically for the Ranji Trophy.
Critics say the women’s game deserves more investment given the WPL’s strong commercial performance.
Big Jump in Youth Development
The board has tripled its spending on India A and junior cricket programs to ₹42 crore, up from just ₹12.9 crore last year.
This increase aims to rebuild the talent pipeline that slowed down after Rahul Dravid left the National Cricket Academy to coach the senior team in 2021.
Key Budget Allocations:
- Women’s domestic cricket: ₹96 crore
- Men’s domestic cricket: ₹344 crore
- Youth development programs: ₹42 crore
- Test match incentives: ₹45 crore
- Ranji Trophy: ₹111 crore
Player Payments Adjusted
BCCI has cut its Gross Revenue Share payment to players to ₹171 crore for 2025-26, down from ₹412 crore last year.
Test match incentives have also dropped slightly from ₹48 crore to ₹45 crore.
Traditionally, 26% of gross revenue share goes to players, split equally between international and domestic cricketers.
Strong Position Despite Challenges
The record surplus shows BCCI remains the richest cricket board in the world by a large margin.
Better media rights deals, higher ICC revenue, and successful tournament hosting have all contributed to the growth.
However, questions remain about IPL’s declining valuation and whether women’s cricket is getting enough reinvestment.
For now, the Indian cricket board’s financial position looks secure as it continues to dominate global cricket economics.
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