The former IPL Commissioner, Lalit Modi, said that BCCI has done a phenomenal job of taking the IPL to places and markets to open up the entire nation to the league.
In his interaction with Rev Sportz Lalit Modi, he said, “The IPL has grown to be the world’s best sports league and has a valuation second to none, and one has to say the BCCI has done a fantastic job with it. The new group in the BCCI that is running the show now has it right. They have taken games to newer cities and markets and opened up the entire country to the IPL.”
Lalit Modi further added, “That is how you bring in newer constituencies of people within the fold of the tournament, and it has been great to see them do that. When I sit here in Austria and see fans from across the country get behind the tournament, I have to say I am thrilled, and a lot of credit must go to the BCCI for taking the tournament ahead and making it bigger and better.”
Lalit Modi, however, pointed out a loophole, saying that there needs to be some kind of innovation regarding the team owner’s point of view, saying that it has not taken off in terms of merchandise and tickets and that these things need improvements.
Modi said, “Innovation comes not so much from the BCCI but more from the team owners. Now most teams have a strong fan base. And yet, merchandising has not really taken off. I would want to see the team owners come together and work on merchandising. It is an opportunity lost. They should open a centralized IPL store and take the story forward. Even ticketing is something the team owners can improve on. Rather than doing their own things, they should do things collectively.”
Modi further stated, “For the BCCI, perhaps they should now think of a secondary league in tier two or tier three cities.
That is where the appetite is, and that is where you should take the tournament. Use the September-October window earmarked for the Champions League for this. Maybe even think about whether the winner can be promoted to the IPL for the next season. That’s where the BCCI can go with the tournament the next few years.”
Lalit Modi also said that BCCI deserves credit for taking the IPL even to places that were earlier not touched.
Modi said, “That is how you grow your fanbase. Many speak of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Real Madrid. In our country, we have still not realized more than 10 percent of the fan potential. In a population of 1.45 billion, it is safe to say that no Manchester United can ever come close to the Mumbai Indians, for example. Each of these teams will be the biggest sports club in the world, and that is where the IPL is the biggest success story.”
Lalit Modi also believes that the IPL has become an aspirational tale, especially for Indian players.
Lalit Modi said, “The second point I want to talk about is the success of the Indian players. It has successfully become an aspirational tale—something it was always meant to be. In a team that has Faf (Du Plessis) and Glenn Maxwell, it was Anuj Rawat who did the job for RCB. Think about what it could have meant to him. In a team that has Mitchell Starc, it was Harshit Rana who did the job for KKR. That is where the tournament is a huge success. It is no longer reliant on foreign stars.”
Modi further added,
“Rather, it is the Indian core that drives it. The reason the South African League (SA20) was successful this year is because the local stars are driving it. The same thing applies to the Caribbean League. CPL is now a success. The reason Dubai and the US are not successes is because they are dependent on outsiders. You need a local connection for a tournament to grow. Without it, you are always going to struggle.”
