{"id":736,"date":"2026-01-12T16:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T10:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?p=736"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:23:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:53:43","slug":"ipl-vs-wpl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/ipl-vs-wpl\/","title":{"rendered":"IPL vs WPL: Salary and Revenue Comparison Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cricket in India is not just a sport anymore it is a big business. For many years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the biggest and most popular T20 league in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its massive IPL revenue comes from broadcasting deals, sponsorships, and ticket sales, and it is watched by millions of fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, the Women\u2019s Premier League (WPL) was launched. This was an important step for women\u2019s cricket in India, similar to the growth highlighted in <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/players-with-fastest-fifty-in-wpl\/\">Fastest Fifty In WPL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both IPL and WPL are run by the BCCI and use auctions to select players. However, there is a big difference in how much money these two leagues make and how much players earn. This article explains the salary and revenue difference between IPL and WPL in a simple way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is IPL and WPL?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The IPL started in 2008 as a men\u2019s T20 cricket league. It brought together cricket and entertainment, with city based teams and star players from around the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years, it has become one of the richest sports leagues globally, mainly because of huge TV and digital deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPL started in 2023 and is India\u2019s first full franchise league for women\u2019s cricket. It began with five teams and follows the IPL model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While it is still new, the league aims to give women cricketers better pay, visibility, and long term career opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IPL vs WPL Salary Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest difference between IPL and WPL is player salaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPL pays women players more than any other women\u2019s cricket league in the world. Still, IPL players earn much more than WPL players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IPL Salary Structure Explained<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The IPL salary cap has increased a lot since 2008. In recent seasons, teams are allowed to spend around \u20b9100 crore to build their squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Player salaries depend on Past performance , Demand in the auction , Availability for the full season<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Top Indian and overseas players can earn \u20b915\u201320 crore or more in one season. Some players, like Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, have crossed \u20b920 crore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even uncapped Indian players often earn more than experienced players in other leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WPL Salary Structure Explained<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPL also uses an auction system, but on a smaller scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Initial team budget: \u20b912 crore<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Current team budget: \u20b913.5 crore<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highest reserve price for capped players: \u20b950 lakh<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highest auction buy so far: \u20b93.4 crore (Smriti Mandhana)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While these numbers are much lower than IPL salaries, they are a big step forward for women\u2019s cricket. Many WPL players earn more than what they get from national contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The highest auction buy so far was Smriti Mandhana, making her the<strong>&nbsp; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/most-expensive-player-in-wpl\/\">expensive player<\/a>, a big milestone for women\u2019s cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference Between IPL and WPL Salaries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The salary gap between IPL and WPL is large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A top IPL player earns about 6\u20137 times more than the highest paid WPL player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This gap exists because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>IPL has been around for 15+ years<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has a global fan base<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It earns massive TV and sponsorship money<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPL is still new. As it grows, adds more teams, and attracts more viewers, player salaries are expected to increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IPL vs WPL Revenue Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Player salaries depend on how much money a league earns. Both IPL and WPL collect revenue centrally and then share it with teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How IPL Generates Revenue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The IPL makes money from many sources, with media rights being the biggest. You can read a detailed explanation of\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/ipl-franchises-make-money-complete-revenue\/\">IPL franchises make money<\/a> through broadcasting, sponsorships, and merchandise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2023-2027 media rights were sold for INR 48,390 crore ($6.2 billion USD) to Disney Star (TV) and Viacom18 (digital), making teams profitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other ways the IPL earns money include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Title Sponsors:<\/strong> Big companies like Tata Group pay yearly for this.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ticket Sales:<\/strong> Money from full stadiums.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Merchandise:<\/strong> Selling team jerseys and other items.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Central Sponsors:<\/strong> Brands pay to sponsor things like umpiring and awards.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How WPL Generates Revenue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPL also had a strong financial start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Media rights for first 5 years were sold for \u20b9951 crore<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tata became the title sponsor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Five teams were sold for a total of \u20b94,669 crore<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the number of matches is small, the league was financially stable from its first season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IPL vs WPL Revenue Breakdown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To visualize the scale, here is a comparison of key financial metrics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>Metric<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>IPL (Approximate)<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>WPL (Approximate)<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Media Rights Value (5 Years)<\/strong><\/td><td>INR 48,390 Crore<\/td><td>INR 951 Crore<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Value Per Match<\/strong><\/td><td>~INR 118 Crore<\/td><td>~INR 7 Crore<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Title Sponsorship<\/strong><\/td><td>~INR 2500 Crore (5 years)<\/td><td>~INR On-going deal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Team Purse (Salary Cap)<\/strong><\/td><td>INR 100 Crore<\/td><td>INR 13.5 Crore<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Number of Teams<\/strong><\/td><td>10<\/td><td>5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why IPL Earns More Than WPL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The IPL earns more because:It has more matches . It has been running for many years. Men\u2019s cricket has a larger audience<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More matches mean more ads, more ticket sales, and more TV revenue. The WPL is still building its audience and will need time to reach IPL level earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The financial strength of the league is also reflected in the wealth of <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/ipl-team-owners-names-net-worth-details\/\">IPL team owners,<\/a> many of whom are major business groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Viewership Impact on Salary and Revenue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Viewership brings in money. With over 500 million viewers and record digital streaming numbers, the IPL allows broadcasters to charge high prices for ads, helping fund big media deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WPL\u2019s first season showed promise, especially with free digital streaming that attracted younger viewers. For the WPL to grow, it needs more viewers over time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More viewers mean bigger media deals, larger team budgets, and higher player salaries. In the end, the WPL\u2019s success depends on building a steady audience for live games and broadcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The IPL and WPL are at different stages. The IPL is already a global giant, while the WPL is a new, fast growing league for women\u2019s sports. Even though the IPL makes much more money right now, the WPL is off to a great start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, the WPL started with more money than the IPL did back in 2008. Today, top female cricketers earn as much as big company bosses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As more sponsors join and more people watch, the WPL will keep growing. It will take time to become as big as the IPL, but the WPL has a very strong future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cricket in India is not just a sport anymore it is a big business. For many years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the biggest and most popular T20&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":740,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[374],"ppma_author":[488],"class_list":["post-736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cricket","tag-ipl-vs-wpl"],"authors":[{"term_id":488,"user_id":6,"is_guest":0,"slug":"glenn-miller","display_name":"Glenn Miller","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Himanshu-Jasani.webp","url2x":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Himanshu-Jasani.webp"},"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=736"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":746,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736\/revisions\/746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=736"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}