The numbers show it — the IPL is boring

How concerned should the Indian Premier League (IPL) be about reports indicating declining viewership and decreased brand attachment to the tournament?

The IPL loves telling everyone it is the best and biggest. The commentators it hires do so relentlessly and it is tiresome. But if the midseason numbers for the IPL’s viewership — on television — are any indication, then its organisers do have some thinking to do.

Viewership is down almost 20% on TV for the 2026 IPL according to audience research entities in India, while 20 fewer brands are attaching themselves to the tournament. On the latter, Indian industry experts have highlighted the exit of gaming companies such as Dream 11 due to laws in that country as one major factor.

The television decline is also down to new ways viewers consume sports these days — often via streaming on phones and tablets.

But there was a detail in the reporting on those digital numbers that really should concern the IPL and that’s that the minutes people — who are streaming matches — are watching is less than in previous years.

The current IPL broadcast deal runs out next year. It was one of the most lucrative deals for sports broadcasting anywhere in the world, valued at about $6bn when it was signed for the 2023 to 2027 period. Those rights were for digital and terrestrial television.

Any doubts about the popularity of the IPL will obviously put pressure on the amount the league might get for its next cycle, with talks set to begin later this year.

That will also have a knock-on effect for the International Cricket Council (ICC), which will also begin negotiations for its next rights cycle. In fact the ICC has already warned its members — including Cricket South Africa — to expect less money out of its share in the next rights cycle.

The IPL will be asking itself why this drop has happened. One major reason is that the tournament is too long, the matches themselves have become lengthy too because of the ‘strategy breaks’ (two in each innings), too many matches look the same and batters — certainly this season — have dominated bowlers.

That it’s become the norm for targets of over 220 to be chased down — and with overs to spare — doesn’t make for a good spectacle. The Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan, who is on the coaching staff of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, made some interesting points about the one-sided nature of many of the contests in this year’s tournament.

“I don’t think pushing the boundary ropes, when the ball is flying over the ropes everywhere, will change things. If we give fair wickets, the spectators will say it’s become boring because the T20 followers want entertainment, so they want to see the fours and sixes,” Murali said after Sunrisers had successfully chased 244 with eight balls to spare against Mumbai Indians.

“That’s why the tournament is built like that. It is a big business at the moment, sponsors and everything, so you will lose the sponsors and interest of the people if you change it.”

Except, Murali has now been proven wrong with the latest audience numbers showing interest is waning. The IPL is facing a similar worry as basketball and baseball in the US, where viewership for Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association is generally flat for the regular season, and increases for the playoffs.

The Uefa Champions League football competition is going to face a similar problem soon, with viewers preferring knockout matches, while the lengthy league phase will only maintain interest in as far as it affects the playoff picture.

If we give fair wickets, the spectators will say it’s become boring because the T20 followers want entertainment, so they want to see the fours and sixes

—  Muttiah Muralitharan

There are too many inconsequential matches in the IPL. Five weeks after it started, and with teams — as of Tuesday — having played nine or 10 matches, no one is yet out of contention for a top-four playoff berth.

It just takes too long to get to the most interesting part, especially when the league phase has so many matches that are as one-dimensional as many have been in the IPL this year.

The last week of the season with teams scrambling for the top four and then the playoffs themselves will see an uptick in viewership, because they are matches with consequence.

But broadcasters — both digital and television — will become increasingly aware of the need to cater rights deals to viewership patterns. Why should they pay so much money for matches that aren’t attractive for viewers?

How the IPL addresses those concerns in talks for its next broadcast deal will have far-reaching consequences for cricket specifically, but sport in general too.