India’s cricket board amassed a surplus of approximately $1.5 billion over the five-year span leading up to 2021-22, as the nation’s parliament received a rare glimpse into the financial affairs of the sporting entity.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has customarily refrained from disclosing extensive financial information. Nonetheless, it is recognized as one of the most financially prosperous governing bodies worldwide, owing to India’s ardent passion for cricket and the periodic competitive bidding for broadcasting privileges.

In parliament on Tuesday, a government minister shared recent BCCI earnings, which unveiled revenues of $919 million against expenditures of $370 million for the fiscal year concluding in March 2022. This yielded a surplus of $549 million. Remarkably, this fiscal year marked the board’s highest surplus over the five-year period commencing from 2017-18, wherein earnings reached $3.3 billion and expenses stood at $1.8 billion.

The commanding influence of the BCCI within global cricket circles is frequently attributed to its substantial wealth, surpassing that of other national cricket boards. Furthermore, the BCCI is set to amass approximately $230 million annually from 2024 to 2027—equating to 38.5% of the International Cricket Council’s annual earnings amounting to $600 million, as per ESPN Cricinfo.

In the previous year, the BCCI secured an astounding $6.2 billion from the sale of media rights for the immensely popular Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

Presently, the board has floated a tender for media rights concerning its international and domestic matches, which is projected to yield another substantial windfall.