Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has hit out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), alleging that the Indian Premier League is sacrificing approximately Rs 2,400 crore in potential revenue by failing to adhere to its original scheduling commitments.
Modi's remarks follow the staggering recent valuations of franchises such as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), which changed hands for a combined fee nearing Rs 31,000 crore. Despite this financial boom, the league's founder insists the current 74-match structure-maintained for the 2026 season-violates a foundational "contractual obligation" to provide a full home-and-away format where every side plays each other twice.
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Under the original blueprint, a ten-team league should consist of 94 matches, comprising 90 league games and four knockouts. This would ensure each team competes in two home and away matches against every opponent. By capping the season at 74 games through an altered group system, Modi argues that the BCCI is depriving itself and its franchises of massive media rights dividends.
"That is not what we sold. Has everybody signed off on this? I guarantee they have not," he told Sportstar.
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Modi explained that with media rights currently valued at roughly Rs 118 crore per match, the 20 missing fixtures represent a significant black hole. He estimates that of the lost Rs 2,400 crore, half would have been distributed among the ten franchises, providing each with an additional Rs 120 crore in annual revenue. The former chief warned that if the international calendar cannot accommodate a full 94-match schedule, the league should never have expanded. (With inputs from Agencies)