IPL 2026- The former commissioner of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, has launched a scathing attack on the BCCI regarding the current structure of the tournament. In an exclusive interview with Sportstar, Modi claimed that the league is effectively throwing away £220 million (₹2,400 crore) in potential revenue by failing to follow the original home and away format.
While the league has seen its valuation soar following the recent sales of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a combined £2.8 billion (₹31,000 crore), Modi believes the board is still underselling the product.
The “Broken” Contractual Obligation
Modi argued that when the IPL was first conceived, the core commercial promise was a full home and away system. Under the current ten-team setup, this would require a 94-match season consisting of 90 league games and four knockouts. Instead, the BCCI has opted for a shorter 74-match schedule.
Modi explained to Sportstar that at the current rate of £11 million (₹118 crore) per game, the missing 20 matches represent a massive financial black hole.
Because the BCCI and the franchises split revenue equally, Modi claimed that each of the ten teams is losing out on roughly £11 million (₹120 crore) per season in media rights alone.
“That is not what we sold,” Modi stated during the interview. He suggested that if the international cricket calendar cannot accommodate 94 games, the BCCI should never have expanded to ten teams in the first place.
“For every game, the BCCI gets 50 per cent, and the remaining 50 per cent is distributed to teams. Consequently, teams are now losing out on 20 games. It is a contractual obligation, given the fees they are paying, to provide them with home-and-away fixtures,” Modi said in an interview with sportstar
Impact on Franchise Valuations
According to the former commissioner, the reduction in matches does not just hurt the yearly balance sheet but also suppresses the overall value of the franchises.
He also said that every side was originally intended to play each other twice and that he “guarantees” not everyone signed off on the current reduced format.
Modi dismissed the usual excuses regarding player fatigue or scheduling conflicts, noting that the home and away format is where the true commercial value lies. For the teams, he considers the full schedule a “contractual obligation” that the board is failing to meet.
“The home-and-away format is where the value lies. If there is no space in the calendar, do not increase the number of teams. It is as simple as that. That is not what we sold. Has everybody signed off on this? I guarantee they have not,” he added.
