A Bibliometric Analysis on the Growth of the Indian Premier League and Its Effect on the Game of Cricket, Its Players and Society
Keywords:
Indian Premier League (IPL); Cricket; Sports Management; Bibliometric Analysis
Abstract
A detailed understanding of sport dynamics is essential to the modern societies since professional leagues nowadays support employment, social unity, and development policy. The Indian Premier League (IPL), launched by BCCI in 2007, exemplifies rapid market growth through its innovative franchising model, attracting significant sponsorships and viewership, thereby transforming cricket into a lucrative entertainment industry and creating new fan loyalties. This paper focuses on the growth of the Indian Premier league (IPL) as an international phenomenon to evaluate the structural forces, such as the payment of athletes, commercialization, and hiring of talents, as well as the sociocultural aspects such as youth engagement and improvement of professionalism. Bibliometric and visual mapping techniques were imposed using a Scopus database of 252 publications using VosViewer, which outlined key research areas, including performance evaluation and predictive analytics. It was found that India is a key global node of sports scholarship, and there is an observable movement towards the analysis of performance conditioned by machine-learning methods. The findings highlight the role of the IPL in raising the standards of cricketing at the same time leaving the franchise owners exposed to financial risks. The research provides practical conclusions to the stakeholders who are located in the sports and economic fields.
References
Sen, R. (2025). The Complexities of Cricket in India. Current History: A Journal of Contemporary World Affairs, 124(861), 142–147. https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.2025.124.861.142
Dixit, P. V. (2023). The Indian Premier League (IPL) And Its Transformative Impact On Indian Cricket: A Comprehensive Review Of Available Literature. https://doi.org/10.53555/sfs.v10i1.1627
Gupta, A. (2011). The IPL and the Indian domination of global cricket. Sport in Society, 14(10), 1316–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.620373
Agur, C. (2013). A Foreign Field No Longer: India, the IPL, and the Global Business of Cricket. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 48(5), 541–556. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909613478907
Kadapa, S. S. (2013). How sustainable is the strategy of the Indian Premier League - IPL? A critical review of 10 key issues that impact the IPL Strategy. Social Science Research Network. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID2365587_code2164802.pdf?abstractid=2365587&mirid=5&type=2
Herath, E. K., & Wijenayake, U. (2024). Statistical and Exploratory Data Analysis on Indian Premier League. 1(1). https://doi.org/10.31357/contre.v1i1.7386
Rai, J. S., Cho, H. T., Itani, M. N., & Singh, A. (2024). The impact of social media-related motivation on fantasy sport users’ playing skills, sense of competition and performance expectancy. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjml-11-2023-1166
Yousaf, A., Mishra, A., & Gupta, A. (2018). Concurrent sponsorship: implications for sponsoring brands and sponsored property. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 36(6), 633–645. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-02-2018-0042
Annamalai, B., Yoshida, M., Varshney, S., Pathak, A. A., & Venugopal, P. (2021). Social media content strategy for sport clubs to drive fan engagement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 62, 102648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102648
Saikia, H., Bhattacharjee, D., & Mukherjee, D. (2019). Performance-Based Market Valuation of Cricketers (pp. 113–128). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1354-1_5
Saikia, H., Bhattacharjee, D., & Lemmer, H. H. (2025). Does dew affect the scoring pattern of teams in the Indian Premier League? Journal of Sports Analytics, 11(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-240914
Ahmed, S. (2013). Consumer response to sponsorship and brand associations in sports marketing. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 14(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-14-03-2013-B005
Amin, M. (2014). Institutional influences on sports industry development. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 15(1–2), 1–18.
Bunker, R. P., & Thabtah, F. (2019). A machine learning framework for sport result prediction. Applied Computing and Informatics, 15(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aci.2017.09.005
Cao, Z., Chen, M., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Sports analytics: A survey of data-driven methods and applications. IEEE Access, 8, 190387–190402. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3031034
Kapadia, R. (2022). Data-driven decision-making and performance evaluation in professional sports. Journal of Sports Analytics, 8(2), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-210523
Khondker, H. H. (2018). Globalisation and the changing landscape of sport. Globalizations, 15(4), 560–575. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2018.1440742
Manage, S. (2013). Strategic management practices in professional sport organisations. Sport Management Review, 16(3), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2012.12.002
Mehta, N. (2009). Commercialisation and governance in modern sport. Economic and Political Weekly, 44(49), 52–60.
Mukherjee, S. (2019). Performance metrics and competitive balance in professional sports leagues. Sport, Business and Management, 9(3), 234–249. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-10-2018-0082
Rowe, D. (2009). Sports journalism and the mediation of sport. Journalism, 10(4), 543–560. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884909103229
Saikia, H. (2012). Performance evaluation and efficiency analysis in competitive sports. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 7(3), 451–466. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.7.3.451
Bhattacharjee, D. (2016). Performance analysis and strategic insights in professional cricket. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11(3), 389–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954116648236
Lemmer, H. H. (2011). The combined bowling rate as a measure of bowling performance in cricket. Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 6(3), 365–372. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.3.365
Saikia, H. (2011). Measuring efficiency and productivity of cricket players using data envelopment analysis. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 6(2), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.2.199
Sharp, B. (2011). Empirical generalizations and sports performance analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(12), 1231–1242. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.605165
Bailey, M. J. (2006). More power to the pill: The impact of contraceptive freedom on women’s life cycle labor supply. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121(1), 289–320. https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2006.121.1.289
Bailey, M. J. (2013). Fifty years of family planning: New evidence on the long‐run effects of increasing access to contraception. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2013(1), 341–409. https://doi.org/10.1353/eca.2013.0006
Barr, N. (2000). Reforming pensions: Myths, truths, and policy choices. International Social Security Review, 53(2), 3–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-246X.00078
Barr, N. (2011). Economics of the welfare state (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Bauer, T. K. (2009). Migration, remittances and human capital accumulation. IZA World of Labor, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.15185/izawol.27
Bauer, T. K., & Zimmermann, K. F. (2012). The economics of migration: International perspectives. Journal of Population Economics, 25(4), 1019–1026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-012-0432-1
Sinha, J. I., Chitturi, R., & Contractor, S. H. (2022). The Indian Premier League: The creation and management of a global sports branding phenomenon. Journal of Brand Strategy. https://doi.org/10.69554/sgcf1566
Matondkar, A., & Bagchi, A. (2020). IPL as a Catalyst for Sports Tourism in India a Learning Curve for Other Indian Leagues. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 23(17). https://doi.org/10.36295/ASRO.2020.231705
Stoddart, B. (2011). Game For Hire: Twenty20 and the New Cricket Mercenary. Sport in Society, 14(10), 1421–1427. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.620382
Gupta, R., & Dharap, O. (2022). How is India skilling its youth? A comprehensive study. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2022.2098171
Ghosh, S., & Chowdhury, S. M. (2025). Monetisation of Indian Cricket. 44–57. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003389194-4
Menon, A., Khator, D., Prajapati, D., & Ekbote, A. P. J. (2022). IPL Prediction Using Machine Learning. Indian Journal of Computer Science, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.17010/ijcs/2022/v7/i3/171267
Gour, P. N., & Khan, Mohd. F. (2024). Utilizing Machine Learning for Comprehensive Analysis and Predictive Modelling of IPL-T20 Cricket Matches. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/v17i7.2944
Garg, A., Sinha, K., & Agrawal, S. (2025). Predicting IPL Match Outcomes: Comparative Analysis of ML Models. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5066798
Dixit, P. V. (2023). The Indian Premier League (IPL) And Its Transformative Impact On Indian Cricket: A Comprehensive Review Of Available Literature. https://doi.org/10.53555/sfs.v10i1.1627
Gupta, A. (2011). The IPL and the Indian domination of global cricket. Sport in Society, 14(10), 1316–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.620373
Agur, C. (2013). A Foreign Field No Longer: India, the IPL, and the Global Business of Cricket. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 48(5), 541–556. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909613478907
Kadapa, S. S. (2013). How sustainable is the strategy of the Indian Premier League - IPL? A critical review of 10 key issues that impact the IPL Strategy. Social Science Research Network. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID2365587_code2164802.pdf?abstractid=2365587&mirid=5&type=2
Herath, E. K., & Wijenayake, U. (2024). Statistical and Exploratory Data Analysis on Indian Premier League. 1(1). https://doi.org/10.31357/contre.v1i1.7386
Rai, J. S., Cho, H. T., Itani, M. N., & Singh, A. (2024). The impact of social media-related motivation on fantasy sport users’ playing skills, sense of competition and performance expectancy. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjml-11-2023-1166
Yousaf, A., Mishra, A., & Gupta, A. (2018). Concurrent sponsorship: implications for sponsoring brands and sponsored property. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 36(6), 633–645. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-02-2018-0042
Annamalai, B., Yoshida, M., Varshney, S., Pathak, A. A., & Venugopal, P. (2021). Social media content strategy for sport clubs to drive fan engagement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 62, 102648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102648
Saikia, H., Bhattacharjee, D., & Mukherjee, D. (2019). Performance-Based Market Valuation of Cricketers (pp. 113–128). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1354-1_5
Saikia, H., Bhattacharjee, D., & Lemmer, H. H. (2025). Does dew affect the scoring pattern of teams in the Indian Premier League? Journal of Sports Analytics, 11(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-240914
Ahmed, S. (2013). Consumer response to sponsorship and brand associations in sports marketing. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 14(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-14-03-2013-B005
Amin, M. (2014). Institutional influences on sports industry development. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 15(1–2), 1–18.
Bunker, R. P., & Thabtah, F. (2019). A machine learning framework for sport result prediction. Applied Computing and Informatics, 15(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aci.2017.09.005
Cao, Z., Chen, M., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Sports analytics: A survey of data-driven methods and applications. IEEE Access, 8, 190387–190402. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3031034
Kapadia, R. (2022). Data-driven decision-making and performance evaluation in professional sports. Journal of Sports Analytics, 8(2), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-210523
Khondker, H. H. (2018). Globalisation and the changing landscape of sport. Globalizations, 15(4), 560–575. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2018.1440742
Manage, S. (2013). Strategic management practices in professional sport organisations. Sport Management Review, 16(3), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2012.12.002
Mehta, N. (2009). Commercialisation and governance in modern sport. Economic and Political Weekly, 44(49), 52–60.
Mukherjee, S. (2019). Performance metrics and competitive balance in professional sports leagues. Sport, Business and Management, 9(3), 234–249. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-10-2018-0082
Rowe, D. (2009). Sports journalism and the mediation of sport. Journalism, 10(4), 543–560. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884909103229
Saikia, H. (2012). Performance evaluation and efficiency analysis in competitive sports. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 7(3), 451–466. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.7.3.451
Bhattacharjee, D. (2016). Performance analysis and strategic insights in professional cricket. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11(3), 389–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954116648236
Lemmer, H. H. (2011). The combined bowling rate as a measure of bowling performance in cricket. Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 6(3), 365–372. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.3.365
Saikia, H. (2011). Measuring efficiency and productivity of cricket players using data envelopment analysis. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 6(2), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.2.199
Sharp, B. (2011). Empirical generalizations and sports performance analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(12), 1231–1242. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.605165
Bailey, M. J. (2006). More power to the pill: The impact of contraceptive freedom on women’s life cycle labor supply. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121(1), 289–320. https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2006.121.1.289
Bailey, M. J. (2013). Fifty years of family planning: New evidence on the long‐run effects of increasing access to contraception. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2013(1), 341–409. https://doi.org/10.1353/eca.2013.0006
Barr, N. (2000). Reforming pensions: Myths, truths, and policy choices. International Social Security Review, 53(2), 3–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-246X.00078
Barr, N. (2011). Economics of the welfare state (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Bauer, T. K. (2009). Migration, remittances and human capital accumulation. IZA World of Labor, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.15185/izawol.27
Bauer, T. K., & Zimmermann, K. F. (2012). The economics of migration: International perspectives. Journal of Population Economics, 25(4), 1019–1026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-012-0432-1
Sinha, J. I., Chitturi, R., & Contractor, S. H. (2022). The Indian Premier League: The creation and management of a global sports branding phenomenon. Journal of Brand Strategy. https://doi.org/10.69554/sgcf1566
Matondkar, A., & Bagchi, A. (2020). IPL as a Catalyst for Sports Tourism in India a Learning Curve for Other Indian Leagues. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 23(17). https://doi.org/10.36295/ASRO.2020.231705
Stoddart, B. (2011). Game For Hire: Twenty20 and the New Cricket Mercenary. Sport in Society, 14(10), 1421–1427. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2011.620382
Gupta, R., & Dharap, O. (2022). How is India skilling its youth? A comprehensive study. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2022.2098171
Ghosh, S., & Chowdhury, S. M. (2025). Monetisation of Indian Cricket. 44–57. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003389194-4
Menon, A., Khator, D., Prajapati, D., & Ekbote, A. P. J. (2022). IPL Prediction Using Machine Learning. Indian Journal of Computer Science, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.17010/ijcs/2022/v7/i3/171267
Gour, P. N., & Khan, Mohd. F. (2024). Utilizing Machine Learning for Comprehensive Analysis and Predictive Modelling of IPL-T20 Cricket Matches. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/v17i7.2944
Garg, A., Sinha, K., & Agrawal, S. (2025). Predicting IPL Match Outcomes: Comparative Analysis of ML Models. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5066798
Published
2026-03-26
How to Cite
Garg, M. (2026). A Bibliometric Analysis on the Growth of the Indian Premier League and Its Effect on the Game of Cricket, Its Players and Society. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 9(4), 116-128. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v9i4.3345
Section
Main Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
