Lalit Modi, the ex-commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), commended the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its outstanding management of the league, extending matches to fresh cities and markets to broaden the tournament’s nationwide reach.
During an interview with Backstage with Boria on Revsportz, “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.”
“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,” he added.
Lalit, however, highlighted the necessity for greater innovation from team owners regarding merchandise, as it hasn’t gained significant traction. He emphasized the importance of establishing a centralized IPL narrative and suggested that ticketing is an area with room for improvement.
Team owners drive more innovation in the IPL than the BCCI. Despite strong fan bases, merchandising hasn’t thrived. They should collaborate on a centralized IPL store and enhance ticketing collectively. The BCCI could explore a secondary league in tier two or three cities during the September-October window, possibly promoting the winner to the IPL for future seasons.
The BCCI has executed an outstanding job with the IPL: Lalit Modi
Lalit mentioned that the BCCI should be credited for broadening the tournament’s scope and venturing into cities that were previously overlooked.
“That is how you grow your fanbase. Many speak of Manchester United or Liverpool and Real Madrid. In our country, we have still not realised 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 a 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,” he added.
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