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The Indian Premier League has just released its brand value rankings for 2026 and the numbers are very big. As per the 2026 IPL Brand Valuation Study by global investment bank Houlihan Lokey, the IPL as a business is now worth 20.6 billion US dollars which is 11.4% up than previous year.
This is what makes IPL one of the most valuable sports leagues in the entire world. The IPL continues to grow due to strong sponsorships, media rights deals and a very high fan base. However, what exactly is "brand value"? In simple terms brand value means how much a team's name, their image and popularity is worth in the market.
Here is the full 2026 brand value rankings of all 10 IPL teams that will tell you which team is on the top and understand what factors determine a team's brand value.
IPL Franchise Brand Value Rankings 2026
Here is the ranking as per Houlihan Lokey Bank:
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|
Rank
|
Franchise
|
Brand Value (USD Million)
|
Change from 2025
|
|
1
|
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
|
312
|
+16.0%
|
|
2
|
Mumbai Indians
|
264
|
+9.1%
|
|
3
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
245
|
+7.9%
|
|
4
|
Chennai Super Kings
|
244
|
+3.8%
|
|
5
|
Sunrisers Hyderabad
|
168
|
+9.1%
|
|
6
|
Rajasthan Royals
|
161
|
+10.3%
|
|
7
|
Punjab Kings
|
158
|
+12.1%
|
|
8
|
Gujarat Titans
|
157
|
+10.6%
|
|
9
|
Delhi Capitals
|
156
|
+2.6%
|
|
10
|
Lucknow Super Giants
|
122
|
0%
|
Which IPL Franchise Has the Highest Brand Value?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is the most valuable IPL franchise in 2026. The brand value of RCB rose to 312 million US dollars from 269 million dollars in 2025 which shows a 16% growth.
RCB is now the first IPL team that has crossed the 300 million mark. RCB has one of the biggest fan bases in Indian cricket and many big brands in different categories like fintech, fashion, and FMCG are huge investors in this team.
Which IPL Franchise Has the Lowest Brand Value?
As of 2026 report, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has the lowest brand value among all 10 teams in 2026. The team stays at 122 million US dollars which is the same as the last year. LSG is one of the newer teams and they joined IPL in 2022.
Since this team doesn’t have a long history like RCB or MI, the team is still building fan base and brand recognition.
What Determines an IPL Team's Brand Value?
There are many factors that determine the brand value of an IPL team:
-
Team performance: As the teams win matches, and reaches playoffs, the fans start gaining interest.
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Social Media Engagement: The more followers, likes and shares an IPL team receives, the higher brand recognition becomes.
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Sponsorship deals: The number and size of sponsorship deals a team signs directly adds to its brand value.
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Star Players: Big players such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma attract more fans and more sponsors.