Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have not only been invincible on the field but have ruled the IPL boardroom as well for more than a decade. Though MS Dhoni’s leadership was a big reason, it was their consistency and the unmatched loyalty of their fans that made them the gold standard of franchise success, until 2025, when a historic event took place the coming of the turn.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have a record of being the most followed but trophy-less team for years. After breaking the curse, they finally lifted their maiden trophy of IPL. And that one out-of-the-blue victory not only altered their cricketing fate. They were catapulted to the top of the IPL brand value standings as a result.
RCB: From Fan Favorites to IPL’s Most Valuable Team
According to global investment bank Houlihan Lokey, RCB’s brand value in 2025 upto $269 million, marking an 18.4% year-to-year rise, the biggest leap among all franchises.
In comparison:
- Mumbai Indians (MI) came in second number position with $242 million
- CSK followed slightly closely at $235 million
That means RCB now officially holds the title of “The Most Valuable IPL and Franchise of 2025.”
| Top IPL Teams | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| RCB | $117 million | $70 million | $117 million | $269 million |
| MI | $119 million | $87 million | $119 million | $242 million |
| CSK | $122 million | $81 million | $122 million | $235 million |
List of All IPL Teams with their Value
Here we arrange the IPL teams according to their value:
1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (USD 269 million)
2. Mumbai Indians (USD 242 million)
3. Chennai Super Kings (USD 235 million)
4. Kolkata Knight Riders (USD 227 million)
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad (USD 154 million)
6. Delhi Capitals (USD 152 million)
7. Rajasthan Royals (USD 146 million)
8. Gujarat Titans (USD 142 million)
9. Punjab Kings (USD 141 million)
10. Lucknow Super Giants (USD 122 million)
What Propelled RCB to the Top?
How RCB evolved from the most popular ‘underachiever’ to a commercial juggernaut wasn’t a chance happening. That was driven by four factors:
- That First Championship: The title in 2025 was the holy grail after years of coming up short. That one win transformed fan support into a world-beating, title-winning brand, which translates into a short-term jump in sponsorship dollars and long-term stickiness of fans.
- Record Viewership and Digital Takeover: The 2025 final saw a record 578 million+ views on JioCinema, where RCB prevailed over Punjab Kings. Importantly, that was also the case for RCB in terms of social media engagement, where they led all teams. They turn out content with a staggering 21 million+ followers on Instagram, expertly milking the digital fan economy, a colossal driver of brand value today.
- More Quality Sponsors: The team has revamped its commercial deals, and is now partnering with marquee names like Puma, Dream11 and Nothing. These days, they are integrating beyond basic jersey ads and building narrative-based partnerships to amplify recall and scale of brands.
- Confidence in Ownership and Future Outlook: The United Spirits by Diageo owned team is reportedly valued at an incredible $2 billion in prospective stake-sale talks. This figure is almost 7.5 times their current brand value indicating the enormous investors confidence on RCB’s future business.
What Went Wrong for CSK?
CSK is one of the most successful franchises, but the franchise’s brand value saw a marginal increase leading to their fall to the third position.
Missed Playoffs: Not making the playoffs in 2025 also hurt key revenue drivers in ticket sales, sponsorship exposure, and digital engagement. On-field consistency remains paramount.
Dependent on Dhoni: Although, we all know that MS Dhoni is that shit but CSK has always been not able to create an new brand image apart from him. The absence of a distinct new face, and of a future vision, is proving a commercial liability as he pulls back.
Disinterest in Digital Innovation: CSK failed to take its digital content strategy to the next level while teams like RCB were winning rolling over reels and Youtube. This puts them behind the curve on what is one of the most fundamental parameters for modern valuation– the growth of a digital fan base.
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Going Beyond the IPL: The Bandra Economics Are Exploding
These franchise moves are a herald of a huge business trend. IPL is not just a cricket league anymore – it is an earnest multi-billion dollar economy.
The overall valuation of the league in 2025 reached a staggering $18.5 billion compared to last year’s $16.4 billion.
The total brand value of the ten franchises has now reached $3.9 B, representing a stable 13.8% YOY annual growth.
Franchises are media and business juggernauts now, generating year-round revenue streams through content, merchandise, licensing, and digital fan tokens. Team value used to be defined purely in terms of match-day revenue, but those days are over.
The Future: A Media-Tech Hybrid
It is clear what would drive the next valuation cycle – consistency on-field, digital evolution, and smart brand management.
We are seeing the IPL become a media-tech hybrid. So if you think about it still now, even sponsors or investors are actually sniffing digital traction, influencer marketing, fan community or stickiness, and potential. RCB has crossed all these boxes and hence, in the new IPL economy, the new-age gold standard to commercial dominance is, of course, a title with digital capital. The challenge in front of CSK is huge: revamping its brand and taking it to the next level digitally to win back its crown.
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