‘Innovation doesn’t come from BCCI…’: Lalit Modi’s interesting take on IPL growth | Cricket News

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has done a great job with the league by taking the game to newer cities and markets, thereby Open the tournament to the entire country. Speaking to Backstage on Revsportz with Boria, “IPL has grown into the best sports league in the world and its valuation is second to none and I have to say BCCI has done a great job in that regard. The new teams in BCCI are now The programming is right. They have taken the game to new cities and markets and opened up the IPL to the entire country.”

“This is how you attract new voters in the tournament and it’s great to see them doing that. As I sit in Austria and see the fans from across the country supporting the tournament, I have to say I’m thrilled that BCCI has led the tournament to Progress and make it bigger and better, thanks to BCCI,” he added.

However, Lalit pointed out that fleet owners need to be more innovative in marketing as it has not actually taken off. He said there needs to be a centralized IPL story and ticketing can be improved.

“Innovation is not coming from the BCCI but more from the team owners. Most teams now have a strong fan base. However, marketing has not really taken off yet. I would like to see team owners come together for marketing.” This is a lost opportunity. They should open a centralized IPL shop and take the story forward. Even ticketing is something that team owners can improve. They should not do their own thing but do things collectively. “

“For the BCCI, they should probably look at hosting the second-tier league in tier-2 or tier-3 cities now. That’s where the appetite is and that’s where you should play the tournament. Take advantage of the September-October window designated for the championship. It might even be considered if the winner gets promoted to the IPL next season. This is where the BCCI can play in the tournament in the coming years,” he added.

Lalit said the BCCI deserves credit for scaling up the tournament and taking it to “previously untapped” cities.

“That’s how you grow your fan base. A lot of people talk about Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid. In our country we haven’t reached more than 10% of our fan potential. In a population of 1.45 billion, it’s safe to say ‘for example, there is no Manchester United can match up well with Mumbai Indians. Each of these teams will become the biggest sports club in the world and that is the biggest success story of the IPL,” he added.

He also said that it has become a “dream story” for Indian players.

“The second point I want to talk about is the success of the Indian players. It has managed to become an aspirational story – that’s what it was always supposed to be. In a team that has Faf (Du Plessis) and In (Glenn) Maxwell’s team, it was Anuj Rawat who did it for RCB. Think about what it meant to him. In a team that had Mitchell Starc, it was Harshit Rana who did it for KKR Work. That’s where the tournament becomes a huge success. It’s no longer dependent on foreign stars,” Lalit said.

“Instead, it is the Indian core that is driving it. The reason the South African League (SA20) is successful this year is because the local stars are driving it. The same applies to the Caribbean League. The CPL is successful now. The reason why Dubai and the US are not successful is Because they are dependent on outsiders. The growth of events requires local connections. Without that connection, you will always be stuck,” he added.

Talking about this year’s ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies/USA and selection for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he said the New York T20 World Cup will be driven by expats. However, he is skeptical about cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympics, arguing instead that it would be better to include it when serious cricketing nations like Australia and England host the event.

“I think the World T-20 in New York will be driven by expats. For a one-off tournament, that’s fine. In the US, it’s still the expats who are driving the sport. In the absence of local connections, So while I do think the India-Pakistan match will be a huge event and will attract expats from around the world to support it, I have serious doubts about cricket ever making it to Los Angeles.

If it were included in Australia or the UK, for example, when the Olympics are held in those countries, I’d say it’s a great move. But the thought of cricket making its debut in Los Angeles, where there is no real local connection, makes me sceptical. We have to wait and see what happens, but from the looks of it, I’m skeptical,” he concluded.