IPL 2027: one year or three?

IPL 2027 sits at the end of a cycle. Business Standard reported on 26 October that the 16 December auction in Goa will be the last mini-auction before a mega auction ahead of 2028, which also opens the next media rights cycle. The BCCI has not issued that tender yet. So a brand signing a team deal today is choosing between one season on known terms and a longer deal that runs into unknown ones.

The case for one year

Squads are about to move. Retentions close on 15 November, and the 2028 mega auction will rebuild every team. The player you are buying around today may wear a different shirt in eighteen months.

Leadership is open too. ESPNcricinfo notes KKR need a new captain after Ajinkya Rahane retired, and may name a stop-gap for 2027 with one season left in the cycle. MS Dhoni has said he will decide on 2027 before December.

The media maths is also unsettled. Media Partners Asia, reported by SportsPro in March, expects the 2028-32 rights to stay flat at about US$5.4 billion, with value per match down 13% if the league grows to 94 games as planned. More matches at a lower price each changes what a season of exposure is worth. A one-year deal lets you see that schedule before you pay for it.

The case for three

Rights holders know all this, and some are locking in partners now. Nike's kit deal with Mumbai Indians, announced on 25 October, is multi-year from 2027.

A brand that commits across the reset can ask for things a one-season buyer cannot: price protection into 2028, first refusal on new assets a bigger schedule creates, and category exclusivity held through the auction churn. Franchises want steady revenue going into a mega auction. That is leverage for any sponsor willing to provide it.

Renewal timing matters as well. Sign for one year and your 2028 talks land at the same moment as a new rights deal, a possible 94-game calendar and ten rebuilt squads. That is a lot to price in a few weeks.

Our view

There is no single answer. A brand buying a star or a captain should keep it to one season, or tie part of the fee to who is in the squad after 15 November. A brand buying the team itself, its colours, city and fans, is less exposed to the auction and can use the reset to win better terms over three years.

Either way, write the review in now. A multi-year deal should carry a check after the 2027 season, linked to the new schedule and to measured delivery, not to the rate card. Before you sign, ask for 2026 delivery data on the exact asset you are buying. The rate card says what the team hopes the asset is worth. Measurement says what it did.