IPL vs PSL: Players, Money & More

Take a look at the brief comparison between two Rival leagues in IPL & PSL on money, players & more

_{Deepansh Bajaj} _{Feb. 7, 2025}

IPL vs PSL -

Cricket is a widely loved sport globally. Over time, several cricket leagues have emerged, notable among them are the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL). These two tournaments aim to promote upcoming talent and upscale the game in their respective countries, albeit in different styles.

IPL vs PSL Full Comparison

Founded in

IPL – The talks for IPL began at the end of 2006, and the tournament was launched in 2007 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) but, the tournament officially began in 2008

PSL—The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) established the PSL in 2015. The first season of the PSL was played in 2015-16.

Number of Seasons

IPL – In IPL, a total of 17 seasons of IPL have been played so far. And this year i.e. in 2025, the 18th season of IPL is set to begin on 21st March 2025 & run till May 25

PSL – A total of 9 seasons have been played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 10th season of the tournament i.e. in 2025 is set to clash with the Indian Premier League(IPL) as Pakistan is slated to host the ICC Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9.

First Champions & Latest Champions

IPL – Rajasthan Royals are the inaugural champions of this league beating the Chennai Super Kings in the finals in 2008. The Royals from Rajasthan won their first and only title under the captaincy of late Shane Warne. The reigning champions of IPL are Kolkata Knight Riders beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer.

PSL – The first season of PSL was won by Islamabad United under the leadership of former Pakistani skipper Misbah-Ul-Haq. Islamabad United won their 3rd title in PSL last year to become the most successful team in PSL.

Players Salary:

In the recent mega auctions before IPL 2025, star India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was snapped up by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a big paycheck of INR 27 Crores thus becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.

There have been many other players in India & Overseas who have got big paychecks in the past in the IPL. Like, Shreyas Iyer (26.75 Crores), Mitchell Starc became the most expensive overseas player in the history of IPL by fetching a whopping 24.75 Crores in the 2024 Mini Auctions.

Number of Teams

IPL – Till 2021, a total of eight teams used to play in IPL. But in the year 2022, two new teams were added to the IPL. That’s why now a total of ten teams play in IPL. IPL Teams- Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Gujrat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Supergiants

PSL – Only 6 teams play in PSL. PSL Teams- Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, and Lahore Qalandars

Most Successful Teams

IPL – There are two most successful teams of IPL are Mumbai Indians & Chennai Super Kings. Both teams have won 5 IPL titles each. The Mumbai franchise won its first IPL title in 2013 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the franchise went on to bag four more titles in (2015,2017, 2019 & 2020) under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. While the Chennai Super Kings won its first IPL in 2010, they too went on to win 4 more titles in 2011, 2018, 2021 & 2023 all under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Both these teams are the only two teams to have successfully defended their title.

PSL – The most successful team of PSL is Islamabad United. Islamabad United has won the PSL thrice. Islamabad United won the PSL for the first time under the captaincy of Misbah-Ul-Haq, while JP Duminy led the side to the podium finish to touch the glory twice. Last Year, Shadab Khan helped the side to win its third PSL title beating Multan Sultans in the finals.

Most Successful Batter and Bowler

IPL – Virat Kohli is the most successful batsman in IPL. Virat Kohli has scored a total of 8004 runs in the IPL. The most successful bowler of the IPL is Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal has scalped a total of 205 wickets in his IPL career so far.
PSL – The most successful batsman in PSL is Babar Azam. Babar Azam has scored a total of 3504 runs in the tournament. On the other hand, Wahab Riaz is the most successful bowler of the pulse. Wahab Riaz who is now retired from International cricket taken 113 wickets in the tournament.

Number of Matches

IPL – About 70 league matches are played in IPL. A total of 74 matches are played in IPL including quarterfinals and finals. Which is played in about 2 months.
PSL – A total of 30 league matches are played in PSL. A total of 34 games are played in PSL including playoffs and finals. All these PSL matches are played in about a month.

Prize Money

IPL – In IPL 2024, the winner got a total of 20 crore INR (2,416,400 USD), the runner-up got 12.5 crore INR (142,999,653 USD), the third place team will get 7 crore INR (845,740 USD), and the fourth place team will get a total of Rs. 6.5 crore INR rupees (785,330 USD) were given.

This is the highest in any franchise cricket league played around the world. In the T20 World Cup held in 2024, the winners were given about USD 152 million just a shade above the IPL prize money, while the runner-up was given USD 12,206,178 much less than IPL runners-up.

PSL—In the PSL to be held in 2024, 140 million PKR (USD 160,221.04) were awarded to the winners and 56 Million PKR ( 1,999,296 USD ) to the runner-up.

Media Rights

IPL – In 2023, IPL sold Its media rights for the next 4 seasons for US$6.4 billion to Viacom18 and Star Sports, meaning each IPL match was valued at $13.4 million
PSL – The media rights of PSL have been bought by A sports – Walee Technologies for 24 million USD for the next two years.

Most Expensive Player

IPL – Talking about the most expensive player of IPL, in the mega auction for IPL 2025, Lucknow Super Giants splurged 27 Crore Rishabh Pant to bag him in their squad thus becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.
PSL—There is no auction in PSL like in IPL. All the teams of PSL pick the players from the draft. Players are given money according to their category. In PSL, the highest amount of money is given to the players in the platinum category, which sets its top salary at USD 300,000 for the 2025 season.

Viewership

IPL – IPL in 2024 was seen by about 620 million people on their television.
PSL—Regarding viewership, the PSL held in 2024 was seen live on TV by about 455 million people.