Mature sporting nations run several professional leagues at once. India runs one. Four others told us something about themselves this week.
In a single week, four of India’s non-cricket leagues each ran into a different problem. The ISL kicked off today having given its live rights away for nothing. The Pro Kabaddi League has no broadcaster. The Hockey India League has a Sports Ministry committee. And the Archery Premier League opened its second season with four of six franchises still anonymous.
In India these get covered one at a time, as separate misfortunes.
| Country | Leagues above USD 115m | Leagues above 1m spectators |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 8 | 20+ |
| Germany | 6 | 6 |
| United Kingdom | 6 | 8 |
| Japan | 4 | 5 |
| Australia | 3 | 5 |
| India | 1 | 1 |
Tata Steel sold Jamshedpur FC for INR 100 — about one US dollar — with an ISL licence and twelve players attached. Two seasons ago the league's media rights were worth USD 31 million a year. Today all 163 matches stream free on YouTube.
Read the full story — 6 min →
India won the kabaddi golden double on 26 September. Thirteen days later the Pro Kabaddi League has no broadcaster, no season date and no auction date. JioStar owns 74% of the league it is asking to halve its fee.
Read the full story — 4 min →
Hockey India projected USD 10.2 million in sponsorship for the relaunch season and collected USD 1.5 million. Three franchises quit inside a month. On 7 October the Sports Ministry convened seven people to work out whether the league survives.
Read the full story — 6 min →
India's archers won nine Asian Games medals from ten events. Their league has USD 11 of paid-up capital, no published prize money, and four of six franchises whose owners have never been named.
Read the full story — 5 min →Para shooters have petitioned SAI alleging they were required to surrender 20% of their government cash awards to be selected. PCI president Devendra Jhajharia denies it. No source states how many signed. Unproven.
Sspark Sports gets the operator mandate for India's first state franchise hockey league. Six teams, 21 Oct–1 Nov, Raipur, sanctioned by Hockey India. No budget, fee or prize money published.
Asian Games gold award nearly trebles, from USD 40,000 to USD 114,000. A 3 October order also reserves 2% of direct state recruitment, Groups A to D, for meritorious sportspersons.
USD 109 million (INR 962.5 crore) approved in principle on 22 September for sports complexes in 140 of the state's 230 assembly constituencies.
The chief minister announced USD 114,000 each to three Asian Games kabaddi gold medallists, plus government jobs, after the athletes said an earlier offer of USD 37,000 was too low.
A World Club Championship shelved after the BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia objected. The ICC has committed to no new multilateral events before 2031.
Thirteen shareholder clubs rejected the NBA's offer on 6 October. L'Équipe reported USD 448 million (EUR 400 million) per future member. Barcelona called the terms “a joke”.
Open to investment or sale at USD 1.2 billion (GBP 900 million) via The Raine Group — fifteen months after 43% sold at a valuation just under GBP 450 million.
Schools paid athletes USD 1,770,453,776 in year one of revenue sharing. 34,915 athletes, 45 sports, 307 schools, from a College Sports Commission court filing.
Seven countries in continuous dialogue: Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa, Türkiye. Expressions of interest close 31 October. The vote is mid-2029.
A swimming series is running in Central Asia with a free qualification route into a World Championship. India has no swimmer in it, no broadcaster showing it, and a brand-new USD 94 million pool in Ahmedabad that is exactly the right shape.
The Baku field was 216 swimmers from 44 nations. A top-three finish with an A standard at any leg qualifies a swimmer directly for the Short Course World Championships in Beijing in December. No committee, no quota. India entered nobody.
The business and machinery of Indian sport. Every Saturday, 7pm IST. Every number links to its source.
