Introduction to India’s Influence on Cricket
Due to its financial strength, political connections, and media, India has long had a significant influence on how cricket is played, broadcast, and ruled all over the world. The concerns of what this means for other competing nations meant that Jay Shah, as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), increased after the unimpeded election of the politically connected. Shah is still a secretary of the control regulations for cricket in India (BCCI).
Billion Dollar Participation to ICC
The BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world and leads the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of the richest and most successful competitions in sport. Between 2024 and 2027, it will probably earn 1.15 billion US dollars. This largely comes from the huge sums that broadcasters pay for television rights for a market of over 1.4 billion people and enable India to form everything from tournament plans to ICC media rights.
IPL Influence
The IPL is deeply involved with Indian politics. It is supervised by the BCCI, with the current chairman of the competition, Arun Dhumal, underlining the direct overlap between political power and cricket government. The political influence in the IPL goes beyond the leadership. Pakistani players who were shown in the 2008 opening season have been effectively excluded since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In response to this, the Indian government revoked its visa, and the BCCI fell quietly from all future player auctions.
Jay Shah and the Confluence of Cricket and Politics
The choice of Shah, the son of the Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah, as chairman ICC, has triggered concerns about the degree of control of the BCCI over global cricket. This double role breaks with previous standards in which the ICC chairman should be independent of every national cricket board. Critics have argued that this undermines the role of the ICC as a neutral global management body.
Trainer and Politician
Gautam Gambhir, former Indian opener and current head coach of the national team, also played an outstanding double role in both cricket and politics. In 2019, he joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and said: "I was influenced by the Prime Minister, his vision for the country. This is a fabulous platform for me to do something for the country." In March 2024, he announced his exit from active politics to return to cricket full-time before taking on the role of head coach for the national team.
India, Pakistan Relationships That Have Been Remedied
In his relationship with Pakistan, India’s influence on cricket is visible. The two countries have not played a bilateral series since 2013, especially due to political tensions after military escalations and terrorist incidents. After a number of compromises and negotiations, the PCB agreed to a mutual deal in which Pakistan’s games at ICC events that have organized India for the next five years are also played at neutral event locations.
Potential New ICC CEO Could Be Indian Media Mogul
According to an examination by British Daily in May 2025, Sanjog Gupa, sports director at Jiostar – India’s largest media conglomerate – is the leading candidate who will become the next ICC CEO when Geoff Allardice wins the role in July. Jiostar holds a 3-billion-dollar broadcasting rights deal for ICC events. If Gupta takes on the role, both the ICC chairman and the CEO of Indian nationals would be a structure in which Indian broadcasters have the greatest financial participation.
Conclusion
India’s rise as a superpower of World Cricket is based on its financial weight, but is now maintained by political influence and media control. While this has brought modernization and commercialization to sport, it has also created a monopolistic structure that threatens the variety and equity of the game to the disadvantage of Pakistan and other smaller cricket nations.
