Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has given a big statement amid the IPL 2026 season. He claimed that due to the revised format on which the league is currently running, the league is losing dues worth Rs 2,400 crore.
Modi noted that after the competition becomes a ten-team league in 2022, the potential to generate higher revenues also increases in parallel, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is making less use of this opportunity.
Lalit Modi claimed that BCCI has an opportunity to earn more money
According to Lalit Modi, if the league continues to operate on a home-and-away match basis, there could be 90 fixtures in the league stage, followed by the knockout stage and then the grand finale.
Currently, there are 74 matches with the change to the home-and-away system. Speaking to Sportstar, the former IPL commissioner explained how BCCI made money from this cash-rich league.
“For every game, BCCI gets 50 per cent, and the remaining 50 per cent is distributed to the teams. As a result, teams are now losing 20 games. It is a contractual obligation, for the fees they are paying, to provide home and away fixtures,” Lalit Modi said during the interview.
“If there were 94 matches today at Rs 118 crore per game on home and away basis, the media rights alone would have been an additional Rs 2,400 crore. This is Rs 2,400 crore as additional revenue for the BCCI,” he said.
With the additional amount of revenue, both parties – the team and the board – can benefit. Had the tournament been conducted through a home and away match structure, each team could have had the opportunity to receive Rs 120 crore, and the value could have been even higher.
He further claimed during the conversation, “Of this, Rs 1,200 crore would have gone to 10 teams, Rs 120 crore each, and the team value would automatically have been higher.”
Modi asks BCCI to organize Indian Premier League in home-and-away system
Modi stressed that the core value of the franchise tournament lies in the home and away match system. If there is shortage of time then the board should not increase the number of teams, Lalit Modi’s suggestion to the board. He further claimed that there may be reasons for this, but it is a contractual obligation for the participating franchises and a commercial transaction.
He said, “The home-and-away format is where the value lies. If there’s no room in the calendar, don’t increase the number of teams. It’s as simple as that. That’s not what we’ve sold. Has everyone signed up to it? I guarantee they haven’t.”
Lalit Modi further said, “Why are they not playing home and away? There are excuses, but it is a contractual obligation for the teams and a commercial transaction.”
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