Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Lalit Modi has criticised the current structure of the Indian Premier League, claiming the tournament is missing out on nearly ₹2,400 crore in potential revenue because it no longer follows the complete home and away format originally planned for the league.
The former IPL commissioner said the present system, introduced after the league expanded to ten teams in 2022, has significantly reduced the number of matches. Under the original concept, each team was expected to play every other team twice, once at home and once away. Such a format would result in around 90 league matches followed by four playoff games. However, the competition currently features only 74 matches.
According to Modi, the change has led to the loss of nearly 20 matches in the league stage, which in turn affects both the earnings of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the participating franchises. In the IPL’s financial model, half of the revenue from each match goes to the board while the remaining portion is distributed among the teams.
Modi argued that the home and away structure forms the core commercial value of the league and that the existing arrangement falls short of what was initially promised to the franchises. He questioned why the format was altered and suggested that if there is limited space in the cricket calendar, the number of teams should not have been expanded.
The former IPL chief pointed out that if the tournament followed a complete home and away schedule with 94 matches in total, media rights revenue alone would increase substantially. Based on the current broadcast valuation, each match is estimated to generate around ₹118 crore, which could translate into an additional ₹2,400 crore for the league.
Out of this amount, he said nearly ₹1,200 crore would be distributed among the ten franchises, raising their individual revenues and overall valuations. The remaining share would go to the BCCI, further boosting the league’s financial strength.
Modi also welcomed the soaring valuation of the IPL after franchises such as Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals were recently valued together at around ₹31,000 crore, but insisted that restoring the original format would unlock even greater commercial potential for the league.
