Top 10 Biggest Cricket Franchise in the World | Ranking the Top Teams - 2025-26 Updated

In today's world, cricket is not just a game but an emotion for the fans around the globe. It has become an important part of entertainment and continues throughout the year with the introduction of various T20 leagues around the world. These T20 leagues like IPL, CPL, BBL, PSL, and many others have taken the game of cricket to the next level without compromising on providing entertainment to the fans of cricket.

There are many franchises of various leagues that are not only famous for their game and cricketing reasons, but are also extremely successful from a commercial point of view. These franchises from different leagues include the big names of the biggest cricket franchise in the world ipl like Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB), Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and even Pakistan's Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings teams are also equally popular among fans for being the biggest franchise cricket team in the world.

How We Ranked the Top 10 Biggest Cricket Franchise in the World - Major Facts

There are many cricket franchises around the world who has been doing well in the game of cricket as well as being successful in a commercial way for many years. The top 10 biggest cricket franchise in the world are ranked based on some ranking factors, which makes them enter this list of the top 10. Here are the ranking factors:

• Brand Value & Net Worth: Brand value and net worth of a specific team involve the total estimated market value of that team, both in USD and INR. This net worth value is also based on the valuation reports of Forbes, Duff & Phelps, etc, which shows the market value of the team and reliability of the source. Over the years, the franchise teams have built a brand value by playing in their leagues. The IPL ecosystem today is worth $1.3 billion (around Rs 11,016 crore) and is closely watched across the world.
• Franchise Popularity & Fanbase: Franchise popularity and fanbase of the team depict the fan following of the team, which involves the social media engagement and followers of the team across various social media platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook, and even YouTube. This shows the engagement of the fans across the globe and how much they like the franchise and are loyal to it. This also includes the sales of the team's jersey and the search volume of that team on the web.
• On-Field Success: This helps in understanding the winning abilities of the team and how many times the team has won the specific league title. This includes the win ratio of the team across the season they have played in the league, and how well they have performed and qualified for the play-offs of the league
• Star Power & Player Roster: Star Power and player roster help in understanding the availability of the big players in the team, which helps in boosting the brand value of the team. This involves the popularity of captains across the cricket world and the presence of marquee players in the squad, which eventually becomes the face of the team, helping to improve the overall brand value.
• Merchandise Sales & Commercial Revenue: Merchandise sales and commercial revenue involve the earnings of the team through various sources like the sale of merchandise and accessories, ticket revenue of the home matches, and other brand partnerships and sponsorship deals. The brand value of the team will be affected by the better sales of merchandise and tickets, as well as partnering with major companies for endorsements, to have a better revenue out of it.
• Media Rights & Broadcast Reach: Media rights and broadcasting rights play an important role in the brand value of the team, as the revenue from media rights of a specific league is shared among all the teams. This is directly affected by an increase in the viewership and broadcast presence of the matches of a team in the specific league.
• Franchise Legacy & Global Recognition: This helps in understanding the reputation of the team, which has been built over the years, and the legacy they have left to improve global cricket and youth involvement in the game of cricket. The team, which has been playing well for many years and shows sportsmanship and maintains the standards of the game.
• Ownership Strength & Management: The factor of Ownership Strength and Management helps in understanding the business strength of the owning group over the years in the league, and professionalism shown in franchise operations, and cricket strategy. This helps in building a sense of trust and belonging among the players of the team and shows how well the team backs their players to play for them in future years.

Biggest Cricket Franchise in the World 2025-26 - Updated List

There are many cricket franchises which has been doing well in making profits out of the game, along with providing fun and entertainment to the fans of cricket. Here is the list of the top 10 biggest cricket franchise in the world:

Which is the biggest cricket franchise team in the world currently?

When we talk about the biggest franchise cricket team in the world, we're talking about the team with the highest brand value. Here are all the teams that are ranked among the top 10 biggest cricket franchise team in the world:

10) Karachi Kings (KRK) | $23.6 million

Karachi Kings, one of the best teams in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), makes a spot in the list of the biggest cricket franchise in the world. The team has shown its worth in the league, where they have played competitive cricket with a high standard throughout the seasons, and won the trophy in 2020. The team has a good bunch of combination of players from domestic to international cricket, including the likes of Captain, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Tim Seifert, Hassan Ali, Shan Masood, and many more. The brand value of the team is $23.6 million and making the team one of the biggest cricket franchise in the world. The enthusiasm of fans towards the team can be seen, and the fan base of the team is over 3.9 M. Overall, this Pakistani team has also attracted attention in the cricket arena due to its performance.

9) Peshawar Zalmi (PSZ) | $40.5 million

Peshawar Zalmi, one of the prominent franchises in the Pakistan Super League. Peshawar, where this team is based, is the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The team has played well in the past seasons of PSL, where they have lifted the trophy only once in 2017, when the team was led by West Indies star Darren Sammy, who is currently in the management team of Peshawar Zalmi. The current squad of the team has world-class players like the captain, Babar Azam, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Luke Wood, George Linde, and many domestic players who will make a mark in cricket in the upcoming years. The brand value of the team is $40.5 million, making it one of the biggest cricket franchise in the world.

8) Gujarat Titans (GT) | $69 million

Gujarat Titans, one of the new teams in the IPL, won its first IPL title in 2022 straightway playing its first season. The team has been built with a proper strategy involving the cricket giants like Captain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharshan, Jos Buttler, and Mohammed Siraj in IPL 2025, with the coaching skills of Ashish Nehra adding a lot of experience to the team. Hardik Pandya was initially leading the side until he moved back to the Mumbai Indians in 2024. GT has earned a lot of name and fame in a short span of time, where its brand value has reached $69 million, and the majority of its ownership was sold to Torrent Group before the IPL 2025 season. With its impressive brand value and name in franchise cricket, they are the 8th biggest cricket franchise in the world.

7) Delhi Capitals (DC) | $80 million

Delhi Capitals is one of those teams in the IPL that have fought really well throughout the seasons but failed to get their hands on the IPL title. In 2019, they rebranded from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals, which gave them hype and a corporate image. In the IPL 2025, they looked good and were table toppers until their performance took a back seat. This year's team has a balanced side of players like Captain Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Faf du Plessis, and many other players. The team is owned by GMR and JSW Group, which are very prominent names in the world of sports. Delhi Capitals has a brand value of $80 million and which makes them one of the biggest cricket franchise team in the world.

6) Rajasthan Royals (RR) | $81 million

Rajasthan Royals, the first winners of IPL in 2008, has been one of the competitive sides of the league. The team has performed decently throughout the seasons, with ups and downs in the tournament. The team has shown an inexperienced side in IPL 2025, where their performance didn't meet the expectations of the team as well as the fans. The team has a good bunch of players like Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, and the legendary coach of India, Rahul Dravid. The team fell short in the recent season of IPL but will come back stronger. The brand value of the Rajasthan Royals is $81 million, which is a result of the success in the league and a good fan following, placing them in the list of the biggest cricket franchise in the world.

5) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | $85 million

The fifth team in the list of the biggest cricket franchise in the world IPL is Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH has been one of the best teams in the IPL with a brutal performance in batting and deadly bowling, making the team one of the dangerous sides. The team has won the IPL title once in 2016, where they performed excellently and were underdogs in the tournament. The team in IPL 2025 includes the star players like Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and many more. The team's brand value has reached $85 million as the team's performance has improved, increasing fan loyalty, where the team owner, Kavya Maran, has also helped in making the team one of the biggest cricket franchise in the world.

4) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | $109 million

Kolkata Knight Riders, a three-time IPL Champion, is a popular franchise that is a bit of a mysterious package and has a strong Bollywood essence because Shah Rukh Khan is the owner. The team has played the game of cricket at the next level with the big players in the team like Andre Russel, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakaravarthy, and many more. The team's legacy has been expanded to many other leagues around the world, like CPL and MLC, which helps in bringing people together and increasing in fan base of the team. The brand value of the team is around $109 million, which makes the team fourth biggest cricket franchise in the world.

3) Mumbai Indians (MI) | $119 million

Mumbai Indians, one of the successful IPL franchise has made a name as the biggest cricket franchise in the world. MI has won the IPL championships five times in the IPL. The team has always backed the Indian core like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and has invested well in overseas players like Trent Boult, Ryan Rickleton, and many more. The team has one of the best fan followings, where the fans are loyal to the team, and MI has expanded its franchise to other leagues also. The brand value of the team is $119 million, and becoming third biggest franchise cricket team in the world.

2) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | $122 million

CSK is the second richest team in IPL. They are like people who never try too hard but somehow always win at everything. The CEO of Chennai Super Kings is Kashi Vishwanath. The team of CSK in IPL 2025 had a mix of experienced and emerging players like MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Tripathi, Khaleel Ahmed, Sam Curran, and many more. The fan following of the team is the highest in numbers, and the fans of the team are also loyal. With a brand value of $122 million, they are the undisputed kings of IPL and the biggest cricket franchise in the world. And not just on the field, but in the business world as well. One of the biggest reasons for the brand value of Chennai Super Kings is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. As long as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's name is associated with Chennai Super Kings, the brand value of this team seems to be increasing.

1) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | $140 million

Royal Challengers Bengaluru is the biggest cricket franchise in the world IPL and has won their first IPL title in 2025. This side has blown everyone's mind in brand value due to its sheer presence. RCB's brand value increased by 67 % to $140 million, which increased significantly after the win in IPL 2025. The team in IPL 2025 faced backlash after the auction but showed their worth by winning the title after a long wait of 18 years with players like Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Josh Haelwood, Phil Salt, and many more. The team's fan base is the most loyal in the IPL, or in fact in the world, which can be seen as lakhs of people gathered for the trophy parade. RCB has become the biggest cricket franchise in the world with its shooting brand value.