Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has once again stirred debate around the league, this time raising serious concerns about its current structure. According to him, the tournament is losing massive revenue by not following the traditional home-and-away format that was originally envisioned.

Lalit Modi questions current IPL format

Modi’s argument revolves around a simple but powerful idea – fewer matches mean less income. Since the IPL expanded to 10 teams in 2022, a complete home-and-away system would ideally result in a 94-match season. However, the BCCI has continued with a shortened 74-match format, using a grouping system instead.

This difference of 20 matches, Modi claims, is costing the league heavily. Based on current media rights valuations – approximately ₹118 crore per match – the IPL is potentially missing out on around ₹2,400 crore in revenue every season. It’s not just the board that takes a hit; franchises are affected as well.

Under the IPL’s revenue-sharing model, earnings from media rights are split equally between the BCCI and the teams. That means each franchise could be losing a significant share annually. Modi estimates that every team stands to miss out on roughly ₹120 crore because of the reduced number of games.

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“That is not what we sold”: Modi raises concerns on IPL contracts

Beyond the financial angle, Modi also raised a more serious issue — whether the current format aligns with the original commitments made when the IPL was conceptualized and sold to stakeholders.

“That is not what we sold,” he said, pointing out that the league was built on the promise of a full home-and-away format where each team plays every other team twice. He believes this structure was not just a preference but a fundamental part of the IPL’s commercial model.

“It is a contractual obligation, given the fees they are paying, to provide them with home-and-away fixtures,” he added, suggesting that deviating from this format could raise questions among stakeholders.

Modi also expressed doubts about whether all parties involved had agreed to the current structure. “Has everybody signed off on this? I guarantee they have not,” he remarked, indicating that there may be disagreements behind the scenes.

He dismissed common justifications such as scheduling challenges and player workload as insufficient reasons to move away from the original plan. In his view, these are simply “excuses,” and the real value of the IPL lies in maintaining the integrity of its full format.

Interestingly, Modi’s criticism comes at a time when IPL franchises are reaching record valuations. Recent deals involving teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RCB) have highlighted the league’s massive financial appeal. While Modi acknowledged this growth, he insisted that the IPL is still not operating at its full potential.

According to him, expanding the season to include all 94 matches would not only recover the estimated revenue loss but also further increase the value of franchises.

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