🔊 Why US Investors Are Betting Big On The Indian Premier League

This week, two Indian Premier League (IPL) teams were sold at a combined $3.4 billion:

Before these transactions, no IPL team had been sold for over $1 billion.

These deals now push the league into the conversation with some of the world’s most notable leagues.

Why This Matters

The IPL might be the most overlooked and asymmetric bet in all of sports.

But that’s slowly shifting with major US investors entering the space.

Although the league is only 18 years old, it’s already become a powerhouse and is held in the same regard as other global leagues, such as the NFL, NBA, and Premier League.

To put this into perspective, the Premier League has been around since 1992 and is worth approximately $30 billion.

The IPL launched in 2008 with franchises auctioned for a combined $723 million.

Today, the IPL is worth approximately $18–20 billion.

That’s an incredible ~19–20% CAGR over 18 years.

Even assuming significant deceleration, the league is projected to reach $80–90 billion in the same timeline as the Premier League, considering that growth rate.

And here’s why it has a good chance to make it there:

All signs point to a brighter future for the IPL.

It’s crazy to think that 20 years ago, it was just an idea.

Today, it’s one of the fastest-growing sports assets on earth.

And the next 20 years could be even bigger.

• Pro Padel Raises $15M. Pro Padel League, a NYC-based professional padel league, raised $15M in Series A funding. Charlotte Hornets Co-Chairman & Governor Rick Schnall led the round. The raise followed the $10M seed funding received in March 2025. The company plans to use the funds to support the next phase of the league’s growth, with a focus on team infrastructure, player development across all levels of the sport, and the execution of PPL events throughout North America (more here).

• NurivaTech Raises $8M. NurivaTech, a sports-focused computer vision and AI startup, has raised $8M in seed funding, according to Sports Business Journal. The round included several MLB veterans, including former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, two-time All-Star Jason Kipnis, Kole Calhoun, Jesse Biddle, former NFL head coach Adam Gase, and Transition Equity Partners CEO Patrick Eilers. The funding will go towards finalizing product development and beginning market rollout (more here).

• Grub Lab Raises $6M. Grub Lab, an Australia-based startup improving traditional kids’ menus with AR-powered engagement experiences, raised $6 million in funding. Quantaco led the round. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its US expansion and support a national brand launch featuring partnerships with the NBA, NFL, Sony Pictures, and Universal Pictures (more here).

• Working Capital Partners Raises Series A. Working Capital Partners, a provider of a structured capital platform for elite talent across sports, music, and entertainment, closed its Series A funding of an undisclosed amount. The round was led by WTSL, the investment firm founded by Patrick Whitesell and Jason Lublin. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts (more here).

• Monarch Collective Invests In Cleveland WNBA Team. Monarch Collective, an investment fund focused on women’s sports, has made its first investment into North American basketball by joining the ownership group of the WNBA Cleveland expansion franchise set to debut in 2028. Monarch Collective is among 10 new investors to take minority stakes in the new team, including local business leaders Liz Yee and Ted Coons, Lauren and Steve Spilman, Steve Demetriou, Michael Petras, John Morikis, Chris Hyland, and A.J Murphy. Financial details and the size of stakes each investor has taken were not disclosed (more here).

• Alexis Ohanian Acquires Second WGTL Team. Seven Seven Six founder and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has purchased a franchise in WTGL, becoming the second team owner in TMRW Sports' upcoming women’s league of its tech-infused golf competition. Ohanian’s Los Angeles Golf Club will compete in the inaugural season of WTGL. According to Sportico, he paid $20 million to secure the team (more here).

• Seattle Kraken Acquires Majority Stake In Climate Pledge Arena. The Seattle Kraken ownership group, led by Samantha Holloway, announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Climate Pledge Arena from Oak View Group (OVG). OVG will retain a minority stake. Holloway also announced the creation of One Roof Sports and Entertainment. One Roof Sports and Entertainment will serve as the umbrella brand for the organization, overseeing a growing portfolio of sports properties and fueling new opportunities (more here).

• Ascent Sports Group Acquires LiveBarn. Ascent Sports Group, a youth and amateur sports technology platform backed by Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR, announced the acquisition of LiveBarn, a provider of live and on-demand video and analytics for ice hockey and other sports across North America. The acquisition of LiveBarn is Ascent’s first investment under its youth sports strategy. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Seat Unique Acquires P1 Travel. Seat Unique, a leading ticket marketplace, has acquired P1 Travel, a leading provider of premium tickets and hospitality packages for sporting events worldwide. The acquisition brings together two market leaders to create one of the most comprehensive global platforms for premium live experiences, giving rightsholders a wider reach with audiences and fans, and giving fans access to more official packages. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Reign FC, Sounders FC & Jump Announce Partnership. The Seattle Sounders and Reign FC are parting ways with Ticketmaster after this season, after announcing a partnership with ticketing platform Jump. Starting in 2027, tickets will be available through Jump, which the organizations say will remove the "middle partner" between the clubs and their fans. Sounders and Reign FC also stated that Jump will now manage all ticketing elements going forward (more here).

• P32Sports & Fastbreak.AI Announce Partnership. Fastbreak.AI, a leading AI-driven sports operations software company, announced a strategic partnership with P32Sports Inc, an innovative youth basketball league, as its Official Digital Registration and Ticketing Partner beginning with the 2026 season. Through this partnership, Fastbreak.AI will power P32Sports Inc’s full event operations nationwide, including digital registration, automated scheduling, and fan ticketing, delivering a fully integrated and modernized experience across all league events (more here).

• Nike & WSL Announce Partnership. Nike, a global sports retailer, and WSL Football, the governing body of English women’s football's top leagues, have teamed up to push further into performance tech, with the rollout of connected balls and tracking systems set to bring a new layer of data to the Barclays Women’s Super League. Working alongside Sportable, the initiative will see FIFA-certified Connected Ball technology embedded in Nike’s official matchballs, along with player-tracking systems deployed across both league fixtures and the training ground (more here).

• NWSL & WSN Extend Partnership. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has unveiled a multi-year partnership with the Women's Sports Network (WSN). Through the agreement, the league will expand its content distribution and athlete storytelling across all platforms. WSN is now an official media partner of the league and will produce a weekly NWSL highlights show, game clips for its YouTube channel, original, athlete-led programming, and an archive of NWSL show footage (more here).

• Former NFL Players Terrence Murphy & Reggie Bush Acquire LOVB Salt Lake. Synergy Sports Capital, a $150 million private-equity fund created by former NFL players Reggie Bush and Terrence Murphy Sr, announced the acquisition of the League One Volleyball (LOVB) Salt Lake team. As part of the investment, Synergy will assume full operating rights to LOVB’s Salt Lake team. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Malcolm Jenkins Launches $200M Investment Fund. Two-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins has announced the launch of a firm he co-founded to invest in real estate and the sports industry, according to Bloomberg. The company, called Pleasant/Rock, has a pipeline of development projects exceeding $200 million and is targeting $500 million in total investments by 2028 that might include stakes in teams, emerging leagues, and sports technology (more here).

• Former NBA Player Roger Mason Jr. Sells Vaunt. Future of Sports Platform, an AI company turning real-world sports participation into a measurable media and commerce market, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Vaunt, a sports and entertainment incubator for alternative competitions, co-founded by NBA veteran, Roger Mason Jr., and Omari Ware. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• San Antonio Spurs Launches AI Studio. The San Antonio Spurs have launched Spurs AI Studio. The studio will blend emerging artificial intelligence technology with creative storytelling and brand partnerships to deliver personalized activations both inside the arena and online. The first activation from Spurs AI Studio is “ULTRA Arrivals,” in partnership with Michelob ULTRA. The experience allows fans to upload a photo and generate a cinematic “arrival” video inspired by the tunnel walks typically reserved for NBA players (more here).

• Pacers Sports & Entertainment Launches Fieldhouse Media Network. Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced the launch of the Fieldhouse Media Network, a first-of-its-kind global AI-powered media platform built on sports fandom, giving brands measurable access to fans. The network was developed in collaboration with Deloitte and Yieldmo, and leverages Yieldmo’s YMax.ai, an advertising platform with a dedicated sports vertical, and Converge by Deloitte for Sports, a fan data platform built on Deloitte Ascend to activate first-party, authenticated data (more here).

• Scripps Launches FAST Channel. Scripps Sports, the sports division of the E.W. Scripps Company, is launching a free ad-supported television (FAST) streaming channel focused on women’s sporting events in the US. Scripps Sports Network will air more than 100 live games in 2026, including competitions from PWHL, NWSL, and MLV. The channel will also air more than 100 hours of non-live WNBA content this year (more here).

• How Luka Dončić Made Himself The MVP Of Personal Branding. In February, Dončić celebrated the launch of his new direct-to-fans media company, 77X, by transforming a venue into his own personal brand playground. This activation was Dončić’s first proof of concept for 77X, which he is using to push his NBA brand beyond merchandise drops and brand sponsors. For Dončić, 77X is an opportunity to build a fully owned platform that serves as a universe for his fandom by merging content, commerce, and community under his own banner (more here).

This week’s guest on the Vetted Sports podcast is Danny Menken.

Danny Menken is the Co-Founder & General Partner of Athvance Capital.

Athvance Capital is a European investment platform investing in emerging and under-commercialized sports IP, alongside value-enhancing technologies and services across sport, media, and performance.

Before founding Athvance Capital, Danny served as Managing Director at Eurosport, CEO of Infostrada Sports Group, and co-founder of Eleven Sports, scaling companies across multiple markets through organic growth, partnerships, joint ventures, acquisitions, and exits.

In this episode, we discuss:
‣ The inception story behind Athvance Capital and his background in sports
‣ Undervalued sports IP opportunities in Europe
‣ Companies they've already invested in

Check out the full episode here: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

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