3 days ago
1
Only 16% of India’s apical athletes crossed six franchise-based leagues successful 5 disciplines hail from the 7 metro cities, indicating a displacement successful the cognition of athletics arsenic a viable vocation enactment successful aspirational India, says a report.
The study titled India’s Most Valuable Sports Teams 2026 — prepared by Hurun India and Fanatic Sports — was released present connected Tuesday. It is based connected 1,323 athletes participating successful the Indian Premier League, Women’s Premier League, Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi League, Hockey India League and Prime Volleyball League.
According to the study, of the 732 athletes classified arsenic hailing from cities, 617 travel from Tier I, Tier II oregon Tier III cities, portion the 7 metros combined person produced lone 115 athletes. Collectively, these cities relationship for astir three-fourths of the 1,018 Indian athletes studied for the report.
The survey has not included respective different franchise-based leagues that person sustained implicit the years. Anas Rahman Junaid, laminitis and main researcher, Harun India, stated that the six properties were lone a starting constituent for the research. “Since this is our maiden foray into the sports sector, it’s a start. We anticipation to support connected including different leagues with each passing twelvemonth from present on,” said Anas.
“The superior nonsubjective of the study is to fto businesses and companies cognize that athletics is present a viable plus people successful India. More importantly, the study is an eye-opener for the younger generation, encouraging them to instrumentality athletics earnestly and put successful it arsenic a vocation option. It helps america recognize that determination is simply a beauteous large endowment excavation successful our country. And it’s not conscionable successful the metros oregon definite States, it’s dispersed crossed the country,” said Raghav Gupta, Fanatic Sports CEO.
Haryana tops the database of elite athlete-producing States with 129 sportspersons crossed these six leagues, followed by Maharashtra (95) and Punjab (81). Manipur (67) and Mizoram (42) — aided by their beardown practice successful the ISL — are the 2 north-eastern States featuring successful the apical 10.
The probe besides highlights that Ketan Kushwaha, a 14-year-old hockey player, is the youngest nonrecreational Indian athlete, adjacent younger than cricket prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
While the study has refrained from projecting commercialized values for immoderate league isolated from the IPL, it estimates the T20 league to go a $15 cardinal spot by 2032. It besides lists Kolkata Knight Riders arsenic the astir valued IPL franchise, with a valuation betwixt ₹19,200 crore and ₹22,500 crore, followed by Mumbai Indians (₹18,400 cr. to ₹21,700 cr.) and Chennai Super Kings (₹18,400 cr. to ₹20,700 cr.).
