IPL Title Sponsors Over the Years: Complete History

The Indian Premier League has had several title sponsors since its launch, and each sponsorship era has left its mark on the tournament’s identity. From DLF’s founding deal to Tata’s long-term partnership, the IPL title sponsor history mirrors the league’s rise into one of the most valuable sporting properties in the world.

This guide covers every IPL title sponsor over the years, how much each deal was worth, and why brands pay such enormous sums to put their name on the tournament.

Complete List of IPL Title Sponsors

DLF: The Founding Sponsor (2008-2012)

Real estate giant DLF was the IPL’s first-ever title sponsor, signing a five-year deal worth around Rs 200 crore before the inaugural season. At the time, it was one of the biggest sponsorship deals in Indian sport.

The DLF IPL branding defined the league’s early years. Those first five seasons established the tournament’s format, built its television audience and proved that franchise T20 cricket could work in India. When the deal ended after 2012, the league was already a proven commercial success.

Pepsi Takes Over (2013-2015)

PepsiCo won the title rights from 2013 in a deal worth around Rs 396 crore for five years. The Pepsi IPL era coincided with some of the tournament’s most dramatic seasons and its continued television ratings growth.

However, the partnership ended early. Following the 2015 season, Pepsi pulled out of the remaining two years of its deal amid the controversies that surrounded the league at the time, leaving the BCCI to find a new title partner.

The Vivo Era (2016-2017, 2019, 2021)

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo first took the title sponsorship for the 2016 and 2017 seasons in a two-year deal worth around Rs 440 crore. The Vivo IPL branding became familiar to fans across two full seasons.

Vivo then returned for 2019 after Oppo’s brief stint, and again for 2021, making it one of the most frequent names in IPL title sponsor history. The on-off relationship reflected both the brand’s huge India ambitions and the changing commercial landscape.

Oppo’s Short Stint (2018)

Oppo signed a massive five-year deal worth around Rs 1,079 crore starting in 2018, the biggest title sponsorship in IPL history at that point. But the partnership lasted just one season before Vivo returned in 2019, with the rights transferring between the two smartphone brands.

Dream11 Steps In (2020)

The 2020 season, delayed and relocated because of the pandemic, needed a quick solution when Vivo paused its sponsorship. Fantasy sports platform Dream11 stepped in with a one-season deal worth around Rs 222 crore.

It was a landmark moment: a homegrown Indian startup becoming the title sponsor of the country’s biggest sporting league, even if only for one season. The Dream11 IPL showed how deeply fantasy gaming had become woven into cricket fandom.

Tata: The Current Era (2022 Onwards)

The Tata Group took over as IPL title sponsor from 2022, initially in a deal worth around Rs 670 crore for two years, which was later extended. The Tata IPL era has coincided with the league’s expansion to ten teams and its record-breaking media rights sale.

Tata’s association gives the league a stable, trusted Indian conglomerate as its title partner, and the partnership has now run across multiple seasons, bringing continuity after the sponsor changes of previous years.

Why IPL Title Sponsorship Costs So Much

The IPL is among the most-watched sporting leagues on the planet. Its matches draw hundreds of millions of viewers in India alone, plus a large global audience. For a brand, having its name attached to every mention of the tournament for two months is unmatched advertising.

Title sponsors get their logo on broadcast graphics, stadium branding, team jerseys’ lead positions in some cases, and across all official league communications. The per-season cost has risen roughly in line with the league’s media rights values, which have exploded over the years.

The Growth of IPL Sponsorship Revenue

The rise in title sponsorship values tells the story of the IPL’s commercial explosion. DLF paid roughly Rs 40 crore per season in the founding deal. A decade later, the per-season value had multiplied several times over, with the Tata deal working out to more than Rs 300 crore per season.

This growth tracked the league’s media rights, which went from modest sums in 2008 to record-breaking billions in the 2023-2027 cycle. As television and digital audiences grew, every layer of IPL sponsorship became more valuable, and the title rights led the way.

The sponsor roster also shows how India’s economy changed. The early sponsors were a real estate company and a global beverage giant. The middle years belonged to Chinese smartphone brands riding India’s mobile boom. The current era features an Indian conglomerate and, briefly, a homegrown fantasy sports startup. Each phase mirrors a chapter of India’s consumer story.

How Title Sponsorship Differs From Other IPL Sponsorships

The title sponsor sits at the top of the IPL’s commercial pyramid, but it is not the only big deal. Official partners, umpire sponsors, strategic timeout sponsors and team-level sponsors form layers beneath it.

Team sponsorships are separate: each franchise sells its own jersey and title deals. The league-level title sponsor, though, owns the biggest prize in Indian cricket advertising: the name of the tournament itself.

Who is the current IPL title sponsor?

The Tata Group is the current IPL title sponsor, holding the rights from the 2022 season onwards after an initial two-year deal worth around Rs 670 crore that was later extended.

Who was the first IPL title sponsor?

DLF was the first IPL title sponsor, signing a five-year deal worth around Rs 200 crore covering the 2008 to 2012 seasons.

Why did Vivo sponsor the IPL three times?

Vivo held the title rights in 2016-2017, returned in 2019 after Oppo’s single season, and came back again in 2021. The repeated deals reflected the brand’s long-term investment in the Indian market and the BCCI’s need for stable partners during transitions.

How much is the IPL title sponsorship worth?

Deal values have ranged from around Rs 200 crore for five years (DLF) to over Rs 1,000 crore for five years (Oppo’s deal). The Tata deal from 2022 was worth around Rs 670 crore for two years.

What happened to the Pepsi IPL deal?

Pepsi signed a five-year deal from 2013 worth around Rs 396 crore but exited after the 2015 season, two years early, amid the controversies surrounding the league at the time.

Which brand had the shortest IPL title sponsorship?

Dream11’s single-season deal in 2020 and Oppo’s single season in 2018 were the shortest stints, each lasting one edition before the rights changed hands.