Article:
Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) watered-down format, claiming that the league is missing out on nearly $24 billion in revenue due to the lack of a full home-and-away format. In an interview with Indian media, Modi stated that the IPL was founded on the principle that each team would play two matches against every other team, one at their home ground and one at their opponent’s ground. However, with the expansion to 10 teams, the league is currently being played with only 74 matches, whereas a full home-and-away format would have required 90 matches in the league stage and a total of 94 matches.
Modi claimed that each match generates $50 million in revenue, with 50% going to the BCCI and the remaining 50% to the franchise teams. As a result, the teams are directly suffering from the financial losses due to the reduced number of matches, and it is the franchise teams’ obligation to provide home-and-away matches. If the full format is implemented, Modi estimated that the league could earn an additional $2.4 billion, with $1.2 billion going to the 10 teams and each team receiving an additional $120 million.
Modi further stated that the reduced number of matches not only affects the teams’ earnings but also the league’s and franchises’ overall value. He suggested that instead of adding more teams to the league, the BCCI should have considered increasing the number of matches to maintain the original format.
The controversy over the IPL’s format has already led to several high-profile players and officials speaking out against the BCCI’s decision. England cricket team’s former captain Kevin Pietersen revealed that his international cricket career was cut short due to the conflict of playing in the IPL. In a separate incident, Australian cricketer David Warner was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
In other news, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has announced its schedule for the upcoming tournament, with the championship set to take place from April 9 to 19 at the National Hockey Stadium in Islamabad. The Lahore Qalandars are among the top contenders, with their captain, Shaheen Afridi, expressing confidence in the team’s performance. The Multan Sultans are currently leading the table with four wins and eight points.
In international news, the Iranian government has claimed that Pakistan has been informed of the decision to pull out of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. In a separate development, Saudi Arabia has shown restraint despite the recent tensions, with the Kingdom’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir, stating that Saudi Arabia is committed to maintaining good relations with Pakistan.
