5 Richest State T20 Leagues In India By Team Auction Purse

Rajgeeta Yadav

T20 Leagues in India [Source: @TNPremierLeague/X.com]T20 Leagues in India [Source: @TNPremierLeague/X.com]

India is home to the richest cricket league in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL). With its huge fan base, global reach, and massive sponsorship deals, the IPL has become a money-making machine. Seeing its tremendous success, several Indian states have launched their own T20 leagues. These state-based leagues may not be as grand as the IPL, but they are growing steadily and offer decent team purses for players during the auctions.

Let’s take a look at the top state-level T20 leagues in India ranked by the highest team auction purses:

1. Bengal T20 League

  • Auction Purse per Team: ₹1.5 Crore
  • According to news reports, each team in the Bengal T20 has a total purse of ₹1.5 crore to build their squad.

Players are divided into categories with fixed base prices:

  • Marquee players – ₹21 lakh
  • Category A – ₹10 lakh
  • Category B – ₹4.5 lakh
  • Category C – ₹1.5 lakh

This puts the Bengal T20 League right at the top among state leagues when it comes to team spending power.

2. Delhi Premier League (DPL)

  • Auction Purse per Team: ₹1.5 Crore (As per uccricket.live)

DPL Season 2 allowed each franchise to spend up to ₹1.5 crore to form a squad of 19 players.

Players were divided into four groups:

  • Marquee Players – Former India or IPL players
  • Category A – Ex-IPL and First-Class players
  • Category B – DDCA Under-23, U19, U16
  • Category C – Regional league players

The deductions from the purse varied by player type, with top players costing up to ₹21 lakh. This structure makes DPL one of the most professionally run leagues in India after the IPL.

3. T20 Mumbai League

  • Auction Purse per Team: ₹1 Crore

In the T20 Mumbai League, each team has a purse of ₹1 crore, out of which a minimum of ₹80 lakh must be spent.

Teams are built with a mix of players:

  • Senior players (base price: ₹5 lakh)
  • Emerging players (₹3 lakh)
  • Development players (₹2 lakh)
  • Additionally, icon players are signed at a fixed price of ₹20 lakh

The well-defined team composition and budget limits show how structured this league is.

4. Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL)

  • Auction Purse per Team: ₹80 Lakh
  • According to Cric-Mate, each team in the TNPL is allowed to spend up to ₹80 lakh to pick 16 to 20 players.

The league has grown in popularity and is now one of the most-watched domestic T20 competitions.

5. Kerala Cricket League (KCL)

  • Auction Purse per Team: ₹50 Lakh
  • Teams in the Kerala Cricket League 2025 could use up to ₹50 lakh to buy between 16 and 20 players.
  • Over 170 players registered for the auction, and they were grouped into Categories A, B, and C, similar to the IPL model.