East IPL chairman Lalit Modi has once again sparked debate within the league, this time raising serious concerns about its current structure. According to him, the tournament is losing massive revenues by not following the traditional home-and-away format as originally envisioned.
Lalit Modi raised questions on the current IPL format
Modi’s argument revolves around a simple but powerful idea – fewer matches means less income. As the IPL expands to 10 teams in 2022, a full home-and-away system would ideally result in a 94-match season. However, the BCCI is continuing with the shorter 74-match format, using the grouping system instead.
Modi claims that due to this difference of 20 matches, the league is having to pay a heavy price. Based on the current media rights valuation – around ₹118 crore per match – the IPL is potentially losing out on revenue of around ₹2,400 crore every season. It’s not just the board that gets hit; Franchises are also affected.
Under the IPL’s revenue-sharing model, earnings from media rights are divided equally between the BCCI and the teams. This means that each franchise may lose a significant portion of its revenue annually. Modi estimates that each team will miss out on around ₹120 crore due to the reduced number of games.
Also read: In Pictures – Meet Tanvi Shah, Gujarat Titans’ glam girl for IPL 2026
“This is not what we sold”: Modi raises concerns over IPL contracts
Beyond the financial aspect, Modi also raised another serious issue – whether the current format is in line with the original commitments that were made when the IPL was envisioned and sold to stakeholders.
“This is not what we sold,” he said, explaining 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 that this structure was not just a preference but a fundamental part of the IPL’s commercial model.
“Given the fees they are paying, there is a contractual obligation to provide them with home and away facilities.” He suggested that moving away from this format could raise questions among stakeholders.
Modi also expressed doubt over whether all the parties involved were in agreement on the current structure. He commented, “Has everyone signed it? I guarantee they haven’t,” hinting that there may have been disagreements behind the scenes.
He dismissed common justifications such as scheduling challenges and player workload as insufficient reasons for moving away from the original plan. In their view, these are simply “Excuses,” And the real value of 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 include teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) And Rajasthan Royals (RCB) The league’s broad financial appeal has been highlighted. While Modi acknowledged the growth, he stressed that the IPL is still not functioning at its full potential.
According to him, expanding the season to include all 94 matches would not only compensate for the projected revenue loss but also increase the value of the franchise.
Also read: IPL 2026 – Who is Ananya Birla? Meet the sister of the new RCB chairman
