British executive Jake Lush McCrum, 33, is taking the helm of the new Indian Basketball League (IBL), which is slated for a 2027 launch. The league plans to begin with six franchises, with an aim to grow to 10 within a few years of its first tip-off.
McCrum, who previously helped relaunch the IPL’s Rajasthan Royals franchise, highlights India's significant basketball engagement. He notes that 55 million people play basketball in India, placing it third globally behind only China and the US, and that 100 million people engage with the sport.
The IBL will adopt a start-up model similar to English cricket’s The Hundred, where teams are centrally owned before being sold off in year three. Despite not being for sale yet, the teams have reportedly received 30 takeover bids from both domestic and international organisations, including interest from Bollywood.