As the Indian Basketball League prepares to take shape, City AM sat down with the 33-year-old British executive at the helm of the project, Jake Lush McCrum, who is tasked with challenging the dominance of cricket and kabaddi in one of the world's largest sports markets.

McCrum is far from a conventional sports executive. At just 33, he already has nearly a decade of senior leadership experience in the sports industry. Rather than climbing the ranks through the National League or settling into a comfortable local role, he played a key part in relaunching the IPL's Rajasthan Royals franchise. Now he has moved on to spearhead the inaugural Indian Basketball League (IBL).

The IBL is slated to launch in 2027 with six franchises, expanding to 10 within a few years of its first tip-off. McCrum sees the timing as significant, noting that basketball is entering a pivotal period — a European NBA spin-off is expected to launch next autumn, while the EuroLeague is itself exploring a franchise model.

Then there is the India factor.

"The pure macros around basketball in India are pretty incredible," McCrum tells City AM. "It has the third highest playing population in the world — 55m people play basketball in India. Only China and the US are ahead of it and I don't think anyone around the world would probably know that; 100m people engage around the sport."

McCrum points to the sport's popularity in India's private schools, a healthy gender split at the youth level, and an affluent audience whose profile resembles that of Indian fans who follow the Premier League.

The IBL's Franchise Model

The Indian Basketball League's structure mirrors the start-up model used by English cricket's The Hundred, in which all teams are initially owned centrally before being sold off in year three.

McCrum acknowledges that the IBL's franchise valuations will not reach the levels seen in The Hundred, stating: "The Indian market is going to be lower, because the spending power of your consumers is different." However, he is quick to note that even though the teams are not yet for sale, they have already attracted 30 takeover bids from both domestic and international organisations, including interest from Bollywood.

"It is more domestic because more are hearing about it domestically before the launch," McCrum adds. "But you've got private equity, family offices and consumer-facing brands. You've got a really nice mix."

The investor interest reflects a broader pattern in Indian sport, where the Pro Kabaddi League — launched in 2014 with a similar franchise auction model — demonstrated that a non-cricket sport could attract commercial backing and a broadcast audience on the scale of a major league.

A Proving Ground in Indian Sport

McCrum's previous role with the Rajasthan Royals — winners of the first IPL edition in 2008 — provided an intensive education in Indian sport and governance. The franchise was purchased this year in a deal worth £1.4bn, with the Mittal family, potential investors in Liverpool FC, acquiring a 75 per cent stake.

"Being a British guy over here who's lived here for eight years," says McCrum, whose great-great-grandfather invented football's penalty kick, "I think my mentality is always, 'I am not the fan.'"

"I do not interact with the fans naturally on a daily basis. I have to really proactively go and spend time speaking to these people across every state in the country."

Cricket, Kabaddi, and New Markets

Whether basketball can surpass kabaddi and IPL cricket in India remains an open question. However, evidence suggests a younger generation of fans is seeking new sports content. McCrum observes that Indian fan habits are shifting away from longer formats, which could create an opening for basketball.

The IPL itself has evolved in that direction, with its shorter T20 format drawing record media-rights valuations and reshaping how Indian audiences consume live sport. Whether McCrum can orchestrate a second Indian sporting resurgence within a decade remains to be seen, but the groundwork is being laid — and the potential is considerable.