Recently, two franchises \u2014 Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals \u2014 changed hands.<\/p>\n
A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) emerged as the lead bidder to acquire RCB for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,700 crore). Rajasthan Royals was acquired by a US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approximately Rs 15,290 crore).<\/p>\n
Modi reiterated that the IPL was originally conceived as an independent entity, not a BCCI subsidiary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was how it was proposed on September 13, 2007, and the BCCI governing council approved that the IPL was not a subsidiary of the BCCI. It was an independent company,\u201d Modi told Sportstar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a lot of backlash\u2026 \u2018if you want to launch it, it\u2019s going to be this way.\u2019 It was set up with the owner sitting on the board and controlling it like the NFL. I will reveal that constitution one day, but that is actually the fact of what was approved in the Special General Meeting prior to the press conference that I held. Thereafter, it was changed in November or December 2007, in Jaipur, where others got involved and said that this can\u2019t be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the majority not in favour of creating an independent league, Modi, by his own admission, had \u201cmany fires to douse\u201d and chose his battles.<\/p>\n
\u201cHad the original structure remained, with owners represented on the board and the league controlling its own operations, the IPL would by now have been an ecosystem unto itself. It would have been untouchable by any company of any kind on the planet,\u201d Modi said. \u201cWe would be controlling everything and marketing our own product through our own streaming system globally by now\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, Modi maintained that the IPL\u2019s dominance remains secure.<\/p>\n
\u201cTest cricket should always stay; we should dump the ODIs and keep the T20s. Kerry Packer did a great job in reviving the one-dayers, and I salute him, but the time is over for ODIs. Test cricket should move to the day-night format. But I see absolutely no threat to the IPL from any other leagues.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, his sharpest critique was reserved for the league\u2019s current format, specifically the failure to honour franchise agreements.<\/p>\n
According to Modi, every side is meant to play the other twice, home and away, and with the league expanding to 10 teams in 2022, that would mean a 90-match league phase and four knockout games. The IPL, however, has continued to operate with just 74 matches.<\/p>\n
\u201c(For) every game, the BCCI gets 50 per cent, and the remaining 50 per cent is distributed to teams. So, teams are now losing out on 20 games. It is by contractual obligation for the fees that they\u2019re paying to provide them home and away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe home and away is where the value is. If you don\u2019t have time in your calendar, don\u2019t increase the number of teams. Simple as that. That\u2019s not what we sold. Has everybody signed off on it? I guarantee not,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are they not playing home and away? There are excuses. It is our contractual obligation. This is a commercial transaction for the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
He argued that this shortfall directly impacts franchise value.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there were 94 matches today on a home and away basis, Rs 118 crore a game, it\u2019s Rs 2,400 crore, just the media rights. That\u2019s Rs 2,400 crores extra that\u2019s coming to the BCCI,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of this, Rs 1,200 crores would have gone to the 10 teams, each team would have got 120 crores, and the team value should have automatically been higher,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
(Watch out for the full interview in the upcoming issue of the Sportstar magazine)<\/i><\/p>\n
Published on Apr 05, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n