Temasek confirms interest in investing in India's IPL cricket league
Singapore state investor Temasek has confirmed for the first time that it is exploring investment in the Indian Premier League, joining sovereign wealth funds and private equity firms drawn to rising franchise valuations in one of the world's richest sports competitions.
Temasek is exploring investment opportunities in India's Indian Premier League (IPL), a senior executive at the Singapore state investor told Reuters in an interview published on Wednesday, 22 July 2026.
The disclosure marks the first time the firm has publicly confirmed its interest in the cricket competition, and places it among the latest institutional investors targeting one of the world's richest sporting properties.
"IPL is a marquee property and we remain interested in it," said Vishesh Shrivastav, managing director at Temasek India, in the interview with Reuters in Mumbai.
Shrivastav declined to name any franchise the firm was evaluating.
"For the right opportunity, we would jump on it," he added.
A league changing hands
The IPL was once largely the preserve of Bollywood personalities and Indian tycoons. According to the Reuters report, it is increasingly attracting sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms and billionaire investors.
The shift has been driven by booming media rights revenues and rising team earnings, both of which have pushed franchise valuations steadily higher.
Two franchise transactions this year illustrated that appeal. United Spirits, the Indian arm of Diageo, agreed in March to sell Royal Challengers Bengaluru at a valuation of US$1.8 billion.
The buyer was a consortium that included Bolt Ventures, the vehicle of billionaire David Blitzer, alongside Blackstone.
A separate transaction reported earlier this year involved a group led by Lakshmi Mittal and the Poonawalla family acquiring an IPL franchise at a reported valuation of US$1.65 billion.
Rising valuations
The valuation of the IPL as a whole has climbed over successive years. US-based investment bank Houlihan Lokey estimated that the league crossed US$18.5 billion in value last year.
That figure reflects the combined worth of the competition's commercial rights, franchise equity and associated revenue streams, and underpins the interest now being shown by institutional capital.
Temasek's India position
Temasek has steadily expanded its presence in India over the past decade. Its portfolio exposure in the country has more than quadrupled during that period to reach US$42 billion.
Shrivastav said the firm would continue to focus its Indian activity on financial services, consumer businesses and healthcare.
Existing Temasek investments in India include the snacks manufacturer Haldiram's and the hospital operator Manipal Hospitals.
