Reportage
Lucknow Super Giants close in on $200 million fund raise
A UK-based investor group is negotiating a 15% stake in the IPL franchise at a $1.3 billion valuation
Reportage
Inside the race for India’s premium endurance market
Hyrox and Ironman have shown that Indians will pay for premium endurance events. The race now is to expand before competitors arrive.
Reportage
How the WPL built India’s Women’s World Cup winners
India’s World Cup win was the result of years of reform, investment, and a league that turned women’s cricket into a serious business.
Analysis
The $2 billion question: Why Diageo may sell RCB
As Diageo looks to cut costs and trim its portfolio, the RCB valuation shows that global consumer giants now see sport as an asset class rather than a marketing indulgence.
Reportage
Coaching Beyond: How Ravi Shastri and team are training India’s cricket coaches
While Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, and R Sridhar were guiding India to famous wins, they were asking another question: who coaches the coaches? Their answer is now training a new generation of coaches across India.
Reportage
BKT’s sporting calculus: How an Indian tyre brand went global off the beaten path
An Indian industrial brand has backed small-town leagues and rural audiences from Italy to Australia
Analysis
The $40 billion reset
Capital is flowing, franchises are multiplying, and participation is surging. But India's sporting infrastructure is being constructed in real time — and the gap between commercial momentum and institutional readiness has never been wider.
Welcome to The State of Play
A weekly newsletter on the business of sport, written from India with a view of the world