CRICKET · FOOTBALL · KABADDI · HOCKEY · TENNIS · MULTI-SPORT
Sports Leagues & Franchises
Executive Search
28+ Sports Leadership Placements — with an average 90 Days time-to-placement and a 12-month candidate guarantee.
28+
Sports Leadership Placements
90 Days
Avg. Time-to-Placement
88%
Offer Acceptance Rate
12 Months
Candidate Guarantee
Specialisation withinMedia, Entertainment & Sports·Creating the Stories That Matter
Indian sports leagues and franchises are now a ₹25,000-Cr+ ecosystem spanning BCCI / IPL and its 10 franchises (Mumbai Indians, CSK, RCB, KKR, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans), ISL and its 11 clubs (Mumbai City FC, Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters, FC Goa, Chennaiyin, NorthEast United, Odisha FC, Jamshedpur FC, Hyderabad FC, Punjab FC), Pro Kabaddi League, Hockey India League (relaunched 2024), Indian Premier League of Tennis, Pro Volleyball League, Ultimate Kho Kho, Premier Badminton League, and multi-sport-conglomerate platforms (JSW Sports, RPSG Sports, Adani Sports, Reliance Sports, Sun Sports). WPL (Women’s Premier League) has emerged as a ₹4,600-Cr category.
Is This Your Situation?
If any of these sound familiar, you're speaking to the right practice.
→An IPL franchise sought a new CEO post ownership change — placed in 88 days, commercial revenue +35% in year one
→An ISL club needed a Head of Football Operations to professionalise player-development — closed in 96 days
→A league body sought a Chief Business Officer to renegotiate title-sponsorship — placed in 78 days, deal value +40%
→A multi-sport conglomerate hired a Head of Broadcast & Digital — closed in 82 days, portfolio OTT MAU +4×
Our Sports Leagues & Franchises Track Record
Situation:
An IPL franchise needed a new CEO post ownership restructuring to professionalise commercial operations.
Outcome:
Placed a candidate with prior multi-sport-conglomerate CEO tenure in 88 days; commercial revenue +35% in year one; fan-engagement metrics +62%.
Situation:
A multi-sport conglomerate needed a Head of Broadcast & Digital to rebuild media-rights strategy across 4 franchises.
Outcome:
Placed a candidate from a broadcaster OTT platform in 82 days; portfolio OTT MAU scaled 4× in 18 months; digital-rights revenue +2.8×.
All client details anonymised. Specific mandates available for reference under NDA upon request.
Our Sports Leagues & Franchises Practice
Indian sports leagues and franchises are now a ₹25,000-Cr+ ecosystem spanning BCCI / IPL and its 10 franchises (Mumbai Indians, CSK, RCB, KKR, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans), ISL and its 11 clubs (Mumbai City FC, Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters, FC Goa, Chennaiyin, NorthEast United, Odisha FC, Jamshedpur FC, Hyderabad FC, Punjab FC), Pro Kabaddi League, Hockey India League (relaunched 2024), Indian Premier League of Tennis, Pro Volleyball League, Ultimate Kho Kho, Premier Badminton League, and multi-sport-conglomerate platforms (JSW Sports, RPSG Sports, Adani Sports, Reliance Sports, Sun Sports). WPL (Women’s Premier League) has emerged as a ₹4,600-Cr category.
Gladwin’s Sports Leagues & Franchises practice places League CEOs, Franchise CEOs, Heads of Cricket / Football / Multi-Sport Operations, Chief Business / Commercial Officers, Heads of Broadcast & Digital, Heads of Sponsorship and Performance Directors. Every search considers BCCI / AIFF / AIFA / FIH governance, player-contract and auction-rules architecture, broadcast-rights economics and the merchandising and fan-engagement franchise.
As a specialist CEO mandates in sports franchises, our practice also covers Chief Marketing Officer for sports brands, our practice also covers Media, Entertainment & Sports practice overview, and as a source for Media — online gaming & real-money / esports.
The Sports Leagues & Franchises Landscape Today
IPL media-rights valuation crossed ₹48,000 Cr for 2023–27 cycle (Star / Viacom18 / Disney now JioStar); WPL rights hit ₹4,600 Cr for 5 years; ISL clubs are rebuilding commercially post AIFF 2024 reforms. PKL is the steadiest non-cricket franchise league with sustained profitability; HIL 2024 relaunched with ₹480 Cr media deal. Multi-sport conglomerates (JSW Sports running Bengaluru FC, Delhi Capitals-partner, Haryana Steelers, Pro Volleyball franchise) are professionalising the sector. Sports-tech / fan-engagement platforms (Dream11, My11Circle) drive digital engagement.
Key Leadership Challenges in Sports Leagues & Franchises
Franchise P&L — IPL franchise valuations of ₹5,000–14,000 Cr require 20–25% ROIC operating models
Player-auction and salary-cap navigation — BCCI / ISL auction rules and retention economics
Broadcast / digital-rights value-capture — franchises have limited participation in media-rights upside
Merchandising and fan-engagement monetisation — jerseys, loyalty, NFTs, experiential
Performance-director and coaching-staff franchise — player development impacts 3-year title window
Governance of governing-body relationships (BCCI, AIFF, PKFI, HI) and regulatory / disciplinary incidents
What We Look For in Sports Leagues & Franchises Leaders
Across mandates, sports leagues & franchises leadership tends to cluster into a small set of archetypes. We calibrate each search against the profile your board actually needs — not the one most commonly available.
The Franchise CEO
A senior leader with sports-business P&L stewardship across 8–15 years, BCCI / league-governance fluency, sponsorship franchise credibility and the governance rhythm of owner / board / league interactions.
The Cricket Operations Head
A cricket operations leader with auction / retention / team-building credibility, coach-and-captain relationship stewardship, NCA / domestic-cricket network fluency and scouting-architecture discipline.
The Football Operations Head
A football operations leader with player-acquisition, transfer-window economics, academy-operations and AIFF-governance credibility.
The Commercial Head
A sponsorship-and-commercial leader with title / associate / partner deal-architecture credibility, 20–40 brand-relationship franchise and hospitality / premium-seating monetisation stewardship.
The Broadcast-and-Digital Leader
A broadcast-rights and digital-platform leader with OTT / linear negotiation credibility, media-rights-cycle economics and fan-engagement platform stewardship.
The Performance Director
A performance director with high-performance-unit stewardship, sports-science / S&C / analytics integration credibility and Olympic / international-team track record.
Regulatory & Compensation Context
Regulatory Backdrop
BCCI Constitution and governance reforms post Lodha Committee / Supreme Court 2018; AIFF Constitution post FIFA normalisation committee 2022–24; PKFI constitution and Pro Kabaddi League franchise agreements; HI and IHL governance; Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007; ATLI (Amateur Tariff-Levy Injunction) tax framework; Companies Act 2013 for franchise-holding entities; Competition Act 2002 for league-formation and competitive-restraint matters; Copyright Act 1957 for match-footage rights; Employees’ State Insurance / PF compliance for support staff; State Sports Codes (Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu); WADA / NADA anti-doping compliance; FEMA for foreign-player payment and cross-border match operations.
Compensation Architecture
Franchise CEOs (IPL): ₹3–8 Cr + STI + performance-linked equity in select cases; Franchise CEOs (ISL / PKL / HIL): ₹1.5–4 Cr; Heads of Cricket Operations: ₹1.5–4.5 Cr + season-performance STI; Commercial Officers: ₹2–5 Cr + sponsorship-linked STI; Broadcast / Digital Leaders: ₹2–4.5 Cr; Performance Directors: ₹2–5 Cr + tournament-performance STI; League CEOs: ₹6–12 Cr fixed + STI.
Roles We Typically Place
Why Gladwin International Leadership Advisors for Sports Leagues & Franchises
League CEO searches (BCCI-league, ISL, PKL, HIL, other multi-sport leagues)
Franchise CEO / MD searches for IPL, ISL, PKL, HIL, WPL franchises
Head of Cricket / Football / Multi-Sport Operations searches
Chief Business / Commercial Officer searches with sponsorship credibility
Head of Broadcast & Digital Rights searches
Head of Sponsorship / Marketing searches
Performance Director / Head of Player Development searches
Organisations We Serve
IPL franchises — Mumbai Indians (Reliance), CSK (India Cements-listed), RCB (Diageo), KKR (RPSG / Red Chillies), Delhi Capitals (GMR-JSW), Rajasthan Royals (Emerging Media), Punjab Kings, LSG (RPSG), SRH (Sun TV), Gujarat Titans (CVC)
ISL clubs — Mumbai City FC (City Football Group), Mohun Bagan (RPSG), Bengaluru FC (JSW), Kerala Blasters, FC Goa (Goan consortium), Chennaiyin, Odisha FC, Jamshedpur FC, Hyderabad FC, NorthEast United, Punjab FC
PKL franchises — Bengaluru Bulls, Patna Pirates, Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba, Haryana Steelers, Telugu Titans, Puneri Paltan, UP Yoddhas, Dabang Delhi, Tamil Thalaivas, Bengal Warriors, Gujarat Giants
Multi-sport conglomerates — JSW Sports, RPSG Sports, Adani Sports, Reliance Sports, Sun Sports
Governing / administering bodies — BCCI, AIFF, PKFI, HI, AITA, BAI
Sports-tech platforms — Dream11, My11Circle, FanCode
Sports Leagues & Franchises leaders assessed on the Media & Entertainment “SPECTRUM” framework
Seven dimensions calibrated for media, entertainment, and sports leadership. Dimensions are calibrated for sports leagues & franchises mandates where relevant.
Parent Practice
Return to Media, Entertainment & Sports
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