Indian Premier League: Star India pays £1.97bn for rights

Star India has won the global television and digital rights for the Indian Premier League, paying £1.97bn for a five-year deal.

Sony was the only other bidder for the television rights for the Twenty20 competition, offering £1.31bn to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Fourteen companies made bids for different elements of the rights but Star's consolidated offer won.

The IPL began in 2008 and Mumbai Indians won the 2017 competition.

"India, cricket and IPL have changed dramatically since 2008, and this bid is a reflection of that," said Star India chief executive Uday Shankar.

The contract runs from 2018-22 and Facebook were among the unsuccessful bidders for the digital rights.