The former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has praised BCCI for their wonderful job expanding the league to newer cities across the country.
Lalit Modi Praises BCCI on Expansion of IPL
Lalit Modi who was the founder, first chairman, and commissioner of IPL spoke about the development of the league over the years and praised the Indian Cricket Board for their efforts to make it a successful one
He also mentioned that IPL has grown as the World’s best sports league and its valuation has reached new heights.
While speaking to the media, Lalit Modi said, “The IPL has grown to be the world’s best sports league and has a valuation second to none, and one has to say the BCCI has done a fantastic job with it.”
“The new group in the BCCI that is running the show now has it right. They have taken games to newer cities and markets and opened up the entire country to the IPL.”
“That is how you bring in newer constituencies of people within the fold of the tournament and it has been great to see them do that.”
“When I sit here in Austria and see fans from across the country get behind the tournament, I have to say I am thrilled and a lot of credit must go to the BCCI for taking the tournament ahead and making it bigger and better,” he added.
He also pointed out that they need more innovation on the part of team owners for merchandising. He pointed out it needs to be a centralized IPL story and ticketing is something that can be improved.
“Innovation not so much from the BCCI but more from the team owners. Now most teams have a strong fan base. And yet, merchandising has not really taken off.”
“I would want to see the team owners come together and work on merchandising. It is an opportunity lost. They should open a centralized IPL store and take the story forward.”
“Even ticketing is something the team owners can improve on. Rather than doing their own things, they should do things collectively.”
“For the BCCI, maybe they should now think of a secondary league in tier two or tier three cities. That is where the appetite is, and that is where you should take the tournament.”
“Use the September-October window earmarked for the Champions League for this. Maybe even think if the winner can be promoted to the IPL for the next season. That’s where the BCCI can go with the tournament the next few years,” he added.
He also said that BCCI deserves the credit for expanding the tournament and taking the tournament to the untapped cities.
“That is how you grow your fanbase. Many speak of Manchester United or Liverpool and Real Madrid. In our country, we have still not realized more than 10 percent of the fan potential.”
“In a population of 1.45 billion, it is safe to say that no Manchester United can ever come close to a Mumbai Indians for example. Each of these teams will be the biggest sports club in the world and that is where the IPL is the biggest success story,” he added.
He said that the IPL has become an aspirational tale for young Indian players who are set to explore their potential.
“The second point I want to talk about is the success of the Indian players. It has successfully become an aspirational tale- something it was always meant to be.
In a team that has Faf (Du Plessis) and (Glenn) Maxwell, it was Anuj Rawat who did the job for RCB. Think what it could have meant to him.
In a team that has Mitchell Starc, it was Harshit Rana who did the job for KKR. That is where the tournament is a huge success. It is no longer reliant on foreign stars,” said Lalit.
“Rather, it is the Indian core that drives it. The reason the South African League (SA20) was successful this year is because the local stars are driving it. The same thing applies to the Caribbean League. CPL is now a success.”
“The reason Dubai and the US are not successes is because they are dependent on outsiders. You need the local connection for a tournament to grow. Without it, you are always going to struggle,” he added.
He also spoke about the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and cricket’s inclusion in the upcoming Olympics in 2028.
Lalit doubts cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympics and instead feels it would have been better to have included when hosted by England or Australia.
“I think expats will drive the world T-20 in New York. For a one-off game, that is fine. In the US, it is still the expats who drive the sport.”
“In the absence of local connections, you cannot really grow the sport. So while I do think the India-Pakistan match will be a major spectacle and will be a huge draw with expats from all over backing it, I am seriously sceptical about cricket’s inclusion in LA.
Had it been included in Australia or England, for example, when the Olympics were being staged in these countries, I would say it was a great move. But to think that cricket will make its debut in LA, where there is no real local connection, makes me skeptical. We have to wait and see what happens but on the face of it I feel sceptical,” he concluded.
Coming to the tournament, six matches of the IPL 2024 fixtures have been concluded with Chennai and Gujarat set to feature in the seventh match of the campaign on March 23 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
