Globalising the Indian Premier League (IPL): IPL franchise expansion as a tool of India’s sporting soft power

Purpose. This research examines how the expansion of Indian Premier League Franchises into foreign leagues contributes to India’s global image and soft power influence in international cricket. Methodology. Using a mixed-methods design, the research integrates quantitative performance analysis of IPL Franchises owned Caribbean Premier League (CPL) teams and qualitative computational textual analysis of international media coverage of the Indian Premier League and its Franchise expansion. Results and Conclusions. The performance data reveal that two of the three IPL franchise-owned CPL teams experienced substantial improvements in win rates, Net Run Rate, and championship conversion efficiency following their acquisitions, indicating the diffusion of Indian organisational expertise and high-performance culture. Topic modelling demonstrates that an IPL-centric narrative structure dominates global media discourse, positioning the league as the primary institutional reference point for understanding franchise cricket worldwide. Sentiment analysis shows overwhelmingly positive coverage of the IPL-related expansion, while uncertainty remains limited and episodic, reinforcing the IPL model's legitimacy and desirability. Narrative frame analysis further indicates that technological and organisational excellence is normalised as the dominant discourse, supported by selectively positive commercial and legitimacy frames. Singularities. This study uniquely conceptualises IPL franchise expansion as a mechanism of nation branding and soft power by empirically demonstrating how Indian institutional norms, economic influence, and symbolic authority become embedded within global sport ecosystems.