Sports market in India - statistics & facts

Mastering traditional and modern spheres of participation

India was a regular participant and achieved success in field hockey, badminton, football, wrestling, and others across sporting events, held domestically and internationally. Some of India’s indigenous sports include Kho-Kho – a traditional tag game, kite-fighting, Lagori – played with seven stones, and Kabaddi. The latter is a contact team sport, represented across many countries.
The Pro Kabaddi League was established in 2014, modeled after the Indian Premier League for T20 cricket. The Indian Super League (ISL) commenced a year before the PKL, making up the professional top tier for men’s football. The winner of the ISL typically participates in the AFC Champions League.

Khelo India, a government program to promote sports development, organizes youth, university, and winter games. In terms of major sporting competitions, a wide range of sports, from auto racing and basketball to martial arts and volleyball, conduct their own leagues and championships planned and managed by the corresponding association or federation.

Cricket continues to bowl over the market

Despite the range of sports available, cricket is the most popular in terms of sponsorship and viewership. India is one of the leading competitors in all formats of the team sport. Indian cricket had a coveted spot in the sports market – domestically and internationally. The men and women in blue are some of the most popular sportspeople within the country and worldwide. Proportionately, the Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI is the world's richest body for sports governance.
Media spend made up the largest chunk of the sports market in India. Other income came from advertising, sponsorships, player endorsements, and broadcast rights. Unsurprisingly, cricket dominated sports channels both on TV and digitally, accounting for 94 percent of ad expenses in 2021. In recent years, however, there has been a surge of other sports in the media mix. The growth of emerging sports, made popular thanks to the Tokyo Olympics, accounted for nearly four billion Indian rupees in 2021.

Sporting goods dominated by the big players

India’s sporting goods segment consists of over 300 products, including cricket and boxing equipment, inflatable balls, and sports equipment. Half a million workers were estimated to be a part of the sports equipment, apparel, and footwear markets. Apparel and footwear made up large shares of the domestic athleisure market in the country. The organized retail segment included popular international players like Adidas, Decathlon, and Nike, while domestic players were fragmented and catered to a more niche audience.

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