Inside India’s Sports Industry: Key Players & Job Scope

The Indian sports industry has taken a progressive turn in the past decade. While cricket has been spearheading its growth for several years, other sports and its related business verticals have blossomed wonderfully of late. From governmental bodies like the Sports Authority of India to high-performance centres, sports goods manufacturers, event management, athlete management, broadcasting companies & many more key players are working tirelessly to change India’s sporting landscape.

India’s Growing Sports Economy 

From event operations to hospitality and sports tourism, sports media to retail — all verticals of the sports industry have seen significant growth in terms of business growth, job demand, and future scope. And one of the major factors behind this sports business boom is the rise of leagues across various sports in India.

Leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Indian Super League (ISL) led the way in the late 2000s & early 2010s to kick off the sports league revolution in the country. Following this, other sports also started with their leagues and currently, India has seen a professional league tournament for almost every sport played in the country.

On top of this, India has seen several editions of the Khelo India Games in various formats such as Youth Games, University Games, Para Games, and even Beach Games & Winter Games gaining relevance. The National Games conducted by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) are also gaining importance. While this has positively influenced the country’s athlete pool at the grassroots level, India is also ambitiously aiming to host the 2036 Olympic Games, having already secured the hosting rights for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Also Read: IISM’s Role in 5th Khelo India University Games – Rajasthan 2025 

Now, to delve deeper into the core factors of this boom, we need to understand the fabric of India’s sports ecosystem via exploring who its key players are. All the above-mentioned verticals can be bucketed into different stakeholder categories across the public & private sectors.

Key Players of the Indian Sports Industry 

National Sports Federations & Governing Bodies 

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) can be deemed as the apex governing body for all sporting activities and development in India. Besides sanctioning India’s sports budget and overseeing all national and regional sports federations with even the IOA following its guidelines despite being an autonomous body.

Recently, the Sports Ministry has been proactively working to change the face of India’s sporting landscape and came up with the groundbreaking National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, which aims at making India a sporting powerhouse by 2047. The 2036 Olympic dream is also a part of this ambitious trajectory. They also introduced the Sports Governance Bill to synchronize with the National Sports Policy and bring better administration and oversight over India’s sporting federations from top to bottom.

National Sports Federations have often differed in their ways of governance of their respective sports and the Sports Ministry is trying to mitigate the same. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has excelled in elevating Indian cricket to newer heights, the likes of All India Football Federation (AIFF) and other associations in hockey, wrestling, and several other sports have often seen things go haywire. Thus, the core focus of the Sports Governance Bill lies on sorting out India’s sports administration.

Key Stakeholders of the Indian Sports Industry | Source: KPMG’s Sportlight Report (2025)

The Sports Authority of India (SAI), on the other hand, has been growing and working towards uplifting India’s sports industry on all fronts. And this is one organization under the Sports Ministry which has seen regular job opportunities for Sports Management & Sports Science professionals. If one wishes to work in governmental sports organizations in India, the MYAS & SAI often have relevant job openings.

Sports Leagues, Franchises & Clubs 

The wave of sports leagues across the country, starting from the IPL, has been revolutionary for India’s sports economy. So much commercial growth has come through a variety of sports, despite cricket taking a large chunk of the pie. An indigenous sport like Kabaddi — which was nowhere near commercial limelight — has seen massive growth in popularity due to the advent of the PKL in 2014.

Similarly, look at the massive turnaround women’s cricket has seen, having been on the back burner for so long in India. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has undoubtedly been the major driver of this surge in popularity. And this is a common theme steadily appearing across all sports.

Dive deeper into how the WPL has contributed to the ongoing revolution in Indian women’s cricket in our blog titled Rise of WPL: Changing the Fabric of Indian Women’s Cricket  

Sports Leagues in India

• Indian Premier League (IPL)

• Women’s Premier League (WPL)

• Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)

• Indian Super League (ISL)

• Hockey India League (HIL)

• Tennis Premier League (TPL)

• Premier Badminton League (PBL)

• Pro Wrestling League (PWL)

• Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)

• Prime Volleyball League

• Ultimate Kho-Kho

• Pro Panja League

• Indian Racing League

• Global Chess League

• Indian Pickeleball League

A key factor behind the rise in relevance of these leagues are their respective franchise teams and the overwhelming fan support they receive. IPL teams like Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru & Chennai Super Kings boast of an extremely loyal fanbase, which helps their brand visibility and in turn, business growth to quite an extent. Similarly, teams in the PKL, WPL & ISL have also garnered a lot of attention. The engagement of a large Indian audience is pivotal to how successful these leagues & franchises can be.

These private franchises are different from the local sports clubs & state-level sports associations. While they have existed long before the private leagues and franchises, commercial growth & demand for jobs in these clubs & associations has only seen an upturn in the recent past.

Anyone looking to work in top leagues like IPL, PKL and WPL should look to gain experience via working for a sports club or association in their region as its gives them a good foundation. IISM students have had the opportunity to work across these leagues in various verticals like broadcasting, venue operations, event management, fan engagement, etc.

Some of them have also worked with state associations like the Mumbai Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association, etc. as part of live exposure & internship requirements. Imagine the kind of exposure they are getting by working on-ground as these are priceless opportunities that is helping them set a solid foundation to their career in the sports industry.

Sports Goods Manufacturers & Retailers 

One of the pillar verticals of the sports industry is sports goods & equipment manufacturing. The entire supply chain — manufacturing to retailing — of sports goods from playing equipment to apparel & merchandise is crucial to the athletes’ ecosystem. But it also provides a major revenue stream via production for a general audience who loves sports.

Some of the famous sports good retailers, especially multinational companies like Nike, Adidas, Puma, are often under the spotlight in the industry. However, there are several other sports apparel & equipment retail players who go under the radar. And that is even more valid for the majority of the sports equipment manufacturers.

Top Sports Goods Manufacturers in India

• Nivia — Founded in 1934 in Jalandhar

• Cosco — Founded in 1980 in Delhi

• Shiv Naresh — Founded in 1987 in Delhi

• Sanspareil Greenlands (SG) — Founded in 1931 in Meerut

• Sareen Sports (SS) — Founded in 1969 in Meerut

• Yonex — Sports Equipment Vertical started in 1958 in Japan

Top Sports Retailers in India

• Shiv Naresh

• Decathlon — Founded in 1946 in France

• Nike — Founded in 1964 in USA

• Adidas — Founded in 1949 in Germany

• Puma — Founded in 1948 in Germany

• Asics — Founded in 1977 in Japan

Brands like Nivia, Cosco and Shiv Naresh often go unnoticed, but are one of the premier sports goods manufacturers & retailers. These are brands whose products are widely used and praised but their brands often lack visibility or recognition. Similarly, India equipment brands like SG & SS are popular in the cricket fraternity but lack the buzz in the business world. On the other hand, foreign manufacturers like Yonex and Asics are also known among athletes but rarely retain any brand recall value.

This makes the sports goods manufacturing & retail sector an untapped pathway for many sports management professionals. While it ain’t easy, one should look to explore this lesser travelled road in terms of job scope in the Indian sports industry. From supply chain operations to marketing, sports goods and equipment has a lot of scope.

Sports Broadcasters, Media, & Digital Platforms 

Broadcasting has been the bedrock of the sports management world as it’s a vertical that’s been attractive to many sports enthusiasts wanting to work in the industry. The media & journalism vertical is a related sector that is often synonymous with broadcasting but that’s the major misconception many live with

Broadcasting ≠ Journalism. There are multiple aspects in broadcasting, such as vision mixing, sound editing, broadcast direction, production coordination, and several other aspects besides commentary & presenting which goes beyond the live broadcast of any sports event. Journalism & reporting of the same is only a relevant subset of this large vertical.

The rise of digital platforms has been the newer addition to this vertical in the sports industry with many content creators starting sports media websites, podcasts, channels and pages to cover sports from a freelance perspective. Many are even making their livelihood via this pathway and building a sustainable career. This has also given a new angle towards fan engagement.

In terms of career scope, broadcasting, media & digital content creation have become some of the top sectors where sports enthusiasts aim to make their careers. Many IISM students aspire to be leading sports broadcasters, journalists & content creators, for which they have started gaining experience via producing digital content on social media, podcasting. Some have even got the opportunity to work with India’s top broadcasters like Star Sports, FanCode, DD Sports and digital platforms like Cricbuzz.

Top Sports Broadcasters in India

• Jio Star — Star Sports, Hotstar, Jio-Viacom18

• Sony Sports Network

• FanCode

• DD Sports – Prasar Bharti

Sports Media & Digital Content Companies in India

• Cricbuzz

• ESPN Cricinfo — under JioStar

• Sportz Interactive

• The Bridge

• Sportstar — under The Hindu

and many more

On a smaller scale, digital content companies like Sportskeeda, Sportz Interactive, The Bridge, and Sportstar can be amazing companies to understand the nuances of broadcasting & media on a simpler level. These can be your gateway into this highly popular vertical.

Sports Science, Coaching & High-Performance Centres

Sports Science has always been a critical element of the sports industry. In India, its relevance has increased in recent years. With the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports introducing the National Sports Policy 2025, sports teams, leagues, associations, and training centres across the country have started taking Sports Science seriously.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been one of the major organizations leading the applications of Sports Science in India’s sporting ecosystem. From appointing high-performance directors, coaches & analysts to inculcating sports nutrition, sports psychology, strength & conditioning and biomechanical analysis in the development of Indian athletes across sports, SAI Regional Centres are steadily becoming leading high-performance centres for sports in India.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centres – RCs in India

Besides traditional coaching and training for a plethora of sporting disciplines, these SAI centres have groomed and elevated many elite medalist athletes from the grassroots level, providing the appropriate kind of high-performance training and applications of Sports Science.

In terms of the job opportunities in the Sports Science sector, the scope is immense and highly untapped. With a lack of talent pursuing dedicated Sports Science fields, there is a large gap at training labs and high-performance centres across the country.

High-Performance Centres & Training Labs in India

• 20+ SAI National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) – Regional Centres

• BCCI Centre of Excellence (National Cricket Academy)

• Army Sports Institute

• Centre for Badminton Excellence (CBE)

• Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy

• Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance

• Inspire Institute of Sport

• NIS Patiala

• Xavier Gait Lab

• CORE

and more

To explore the field of Sports Science, read our blog titled What is Sports Science? — Verticals, Importance & Scope 

Athlete Management Companies

With lakhs of athletes cropping up at the national and international level in India, the need for athlete representation has increased. And that’s the reason the number of companies into athlete & talent management has gone up to quite an extent in recent times. Not just cricket — that used to produce the most sporting stars in India — other sports like football, kabaddi, athletics, wrestling, tennis, squash have also seen athletes gain stardom and seek professional help for managing their off-ground lives.

Top Athlete Management Companies in India

• Baseline Ventures

• Cornerstone

• JSW Sports

• RISE Worldwide

• IOS Sports & Entertainment

• Rhiti Sports

• GoSports Foundation

• Meraki Sports & Entertainment

• Birbal Sports & Entertainment

• Athletes Today

• SportWise

• Aethleti Circle

and many more

Athlete management may look like a glamorous sector, but it is quite demanding. So, young professionals looking to become athlete managers may need to brace for an unrelenting grind. Many students from IISM have aspired to become leading athlete managers and have worked for companies like Baseline Ventures, JSW Sports, GoSports Foundation and others.

Know more about the Top Athlete Management Companies in India 

Event Operations & Facility Management 

Sports events, leagues & competitions happening in India require dedicated event operations management given the scale of audiences and the resultant load on all verticals at the venue. From IPL matches to Khelo India Games and Mumbai Marathon, every event & competition has dedicated authorities, agencies & related stakeholders working to make the event a success.

For instance, the Tata Mumbai Marathon is mainly organized and promoted by Procam International, with few other event management agencies assisting. Likewise, there are private and public entities who in collaboration with the respective sport’s association/governing body organize the particular tournament.

DO YOU KNOW?

Around 150 IISM students work in the Tata Mumbai Marathon every year across various functional areas to manage the event operations.

Facility or Venue Management, meanwhile, is a vertical that sees constant operations throughout the year, even though it experiences the most workload during sports events & tournaments. From the upkeep of equipment and the field/arena to being vigilant to handle crowds, manage sponsors, hospitality, broadcasting crews during the peak period of any event or competition, facility or venue managers have a lot of their plate.

Now, another major related vertical in this area of the sports industry are the infrastructure companies who build these venues and sports facilities. From locals turfs and tennis or pickleball courts to stadiums for football and cricket, sports infrastructure companies are an integral pillar of the sports industry.

Events, Facility Management & Sports Infrastructure Companies in India

• Procam International

• Baseline Ventures

• RISE Worldwide

• IOS Sports & Entertainment

• Great Sports Tech

• Acosa Sports

and many more

From a job scope perspective, events, facility management and sports infrastructure are all extensively operation-centric verticals where one has to work on-ground for 12-14 hours a day. So, any sports enthusiasts willing to work in these fields need to be aware that it won’t be an easy job. Regardless, these are verticals that also offer the largest quantum of opportunities, especially with the rising number of sports events and competitions in India.

Sports Tourism Companies 

One major impact of the growth in sports events and global-level tournaments happening in India is the rise of the Sports Tourism sector. Even the popularity of sports like F1, Tennis, Football has also caused a spike in demand from Indian audiences wanting to visit the international events of these sports in foreign locations.

This is why, several sports tourism companies operating in India and abroad have increased their focus on the Indian sports ecosystem recently. DreamSetGo, a part of the Dream Sports group, is one major player based in India that offers sports travel & hospitality packages to the FIFA World Cup and F1 Grand Prix events among several other sports events.

Sports Tourism Companies Operating in India

• DreamSetGo

• Cutting Edge

• Fanatic

• Sports Konnect

• Travel O Sports

• Melsh Sports Tours

• FanToPark

• Leisure Sports Travel

Many IISM students have forayed into the sports tourism sector and have been working for DreamSetGo. From establishing contacts and partnerships with leading stakeholders and promoters of multiple sports to coordinating with vendors for travel logistics, accommodation — jobs in sports tourism have a variety of responsibilities that require a lot of sporting knowledge, passion along with managerial skills. So, getting into sports tourism may seem intriguing but invites a different challenge for young professionals.  

Corporates & CSR in Sports 

Corporate organizations have been diversifying their interest in sports in the recent past, and not just from CSR perspective. While that used to be a major focus on corporates investing in athlete development as a part of their CSR initiative, corporates are now being more involved with buying franchise teams in leagues, onboarding athletes as part of their talent management programmes, and operate sports complexes, academies and venues to groom budding talents.

Organizations like Reliance, JSW, Adani, GMR have been some of the top conglomerates gaining the spotlight via their franchise teams in leagues like the IPL, WPL, PKL, ISL and also contributing to India’s grassroots sports development. Meanwhile, PSUs like ONGC, Railways, BPCL, Steel Authority of India, Indian Oil, etc. have also been active in supporting athletes and building stadiums and facilities.

Indian Corporates & PSUs in Sports 

• Reliance Industries

• Adani Group

• JSW Group

• GMR Group

• Aditya Birla Group

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd

• Oil & National Gas Corporation (ONGC)

• Coal India Ltd

• Indian Oil Corporation

• Air India

• Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL)

• Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL)

Conclusion

That is the length & breadth of the Indian sports industry, with these key stakeholders driving the growth of the sporting ecosystem on all fronts. Either of these verticals lacking manpower, infrastructure, resources, funding or marketing visibility can hamper India’s ambitions of becoming a sports powerhouse.

The implementation of the National Sports Policy and the Sports Governance Bill is also crucial to grassroots athlete development and building a robust sports ecosystem in the country. And to maintain and keep enhancing this ecosystem in India, we will need more young professionals to pursue fields in Sports Management & Sports Science. From broadcasting to venue management, sports retail to sports tourism, event operations, strength & conditioning, sports nutrition, biomechanics and many more verticals have and will see a rise in job openings in the upcoming decade.

So, if you are also intrigued by the notion of working in the sports industry in these varied fields and with one of the key players covered in this blog, pursue Sports Management or Sports Science with IISM.

 Also Read: 7 Key Skills You Must Learn to Become a Sports Manager