The Business of Sports Summit at PlayCom 2025 brought together a power-packed panel of leaders shaping India’s sports economy. Divyanshu Singh (CEO, JSW Sports), Satyam Trivedi (CEO, GMR Sports), Sanjay Adesara (CEO, Adani Sportsline), and Uditvanu Das (Head of Sports, Havas Play India) shared their perspectives on how Indian sport must be managed and measured in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Opening the discussion, Divyanshu Singh, CEO, JSW Sports, emphasized the need to treat sport as a business in its own right. “Whenever we are businesses, we end up looking at sport from two lenses: either as a public good or as a pure-play business. For India to grow, we need to look at it (sport) as a serious business. What is the ROI? How does the P&L look? Are we growing? That discipline is non-negotiable. At the same time, we cannot just replicate one sport’s model. We are at a juncture where new innovations, new business models, and solving complex problems is what will lead to the next era of sport.”
Satyam Trivedi, CEO, GMR Sports, shared insights from GMR’s investment in rugby, underscoring the need for product-fit and sustainable planning. “When we decided to invest in rugby, we knew it wasn’t just about television numbers. Rugby Sevens is an on-ground entertainment product. Fast, action-packed, and perfectly suited for today’s youth whose attention span is short. The format is 15 minutes and fans loved it. At the same time, we built the financial model so that every stakeholder, broadcaster, franchise owner, federation, and us as investors benefit over time. You can’t replicate IPL. You need to build a model where collective success is possible.”
Speaking on India’s broader economic trajectory, Sanjay Adesara, CEO, Adani Sportsline, drew parallels with China’s growth path. “Sports is capital-intensive, but the context in India is changing. From an economic point of view, we are at a per capita income of around 2,800 dollars, similar to where China was in 2008. The moment we cross 3,500–3,700 dollars per capita income, the amount of extra money this economy will generate is going to be huge.” He added, “We are already at the start of the inflection point. The gestation period, the long waiting in the queues, will come to an end very soon. The next decade will belong to this country for sure, and sport will be one of those sectors.”
From the sponsorship perspective, Uditvanu Das, Head of Sports, Havas Play India, explained how brands are evaluating partnerships differently. “It’s not about writing a cheque and saying, ‘I’m sponsoring a team.’ Brands want to know the ROI, not just in terms of visibility, but in terms of the impact they create. That could mean fan base, scale, or deep resonance. Increasingly, brands are chasing ‘share of mind’ over ‘share of wallet.’ Whether 50 people watch a sport or five million, the question is: Does this moment matter to the brand’s cohort? That’s where sponsor congruence comes in, when fans see a brand and the sport as naturally aligned, it creates loyalty and advocacy. That’s what brands are paying for.”
With India’s economy on the rise and the sports ecosystem maturing, the panel agreed that the country is entering a defining decade for sports investment and growth.
