‘A 40% IPL tax could build 10 IITs’: Bengaluru professor questions India’s vision priorities

While stadiums roar and billions flood into the IPL every year, a stark question lingers: what if even a fraction of that money built India’s future instead of just entertaining it?

Professor Mayank Shrivastava from IISc Bengaluru points out that if a simple 40% tax were applied just on BCCI’s IPL profits, nearly ₹15,000 crores could have been raised over three years—enough to fund 10 new IITs or create a national deep-tech innovation corpus. “Add franchise profits (₹800–₹1,200 crore/year), and another ₹320–₹480 crores could be collected annually. In total, nearly ₹6,000 crores per year could be redirected into research, just from the IPL ecosystem,” he writes.

In IPL 2023 alone, BCCI reported a ₹5,120 crore surplus, with revenues touching ₹11,770 crore, mainly powered by media rights. With projected revenues for 2024 and 2025 reaching ₹12,000–₹13,500 crore annually, the scale is only growing.

Yet, BCCI benefits from income tax exemptions under its charitable status. Billionaire-owned franchises also enjoy favorable tax treatment, while players’ salaries are taxed individually. “Entertainment is subsidized. Research is taxed,” Shrivastava notes, highlighting the irony that research institutions pay GST on lab equipment and consumables.

The pattern isn’t limited to cricket. Bollywood productions receive tax breaks. Religious trusts maintain vast commercial empires without paying taxes. New sports leagues enjoy startup tax holidays. Shrivastava argues that even modest taxation across these booming sectors could generate thousands of crores for scientific and technological development.

“India doesn’t lack money. Indians don’t lack money. What we lack is the vision to invest in the future,” he asserts. Quick-return businesses dominate, while long-term investments in research and innovation are seen as “high-risk, low-return” pursuits.

Shrivastava concludes, “Entertainment keeps the present alive. Research builds the future. It’s time India starts rewarding not just quick fame, but future builders.”