IPL founder Modi fears franchises are missing out on huge sums each season

Dubai: Lalit Modi has said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises are losing out on around Rs 2,400 crore every season because the home-and-away format was adjusted to keep the total number of matches at 74, even after adding two new teams.

In a complete home-and-away system, where every team faces all other teams twice during the league stage, the total number of matches would increase to 94.

However, due to scheduling constraints, that model has not been implemented.

Modi, founder of the IPL back in 2008, contends that this decision is stopping teams from reaching their full financial potential.

“Every game, the BCCI gets 50 per cent, and the remaining 50 per cent is distributed to teams,” Modi told Sportstar.

“So, teams are now losing out on 20 games. It is by contractual obligation for the fees that they’re paying to provide them home and away.

“The home and away is where the value is. If you don’t have time in your calendar, don’t increase the number of teams. Simple as that. That’s not what we sold. Has everybody signed off on it? I guarantee not.”

He also added that by not completely following the home-and-away format, each IPL franchise is losing out on roughly Rs 120 crore in revenue every season.

“If there were 94 matches today on a home and away basis, Rs 118 crore a game, it’s Rs 2,400 crore, just the media rights. “That’s Rs 2,400 crores extra that’s coming to the BCCI," he claimed.

“Out of this, Rs 1,200 crores would have gone to the 10 teams, each team would have got 120 crores, and the team value should have automatically been higher."

Despite these concerns, Modi maintains that the IPL isn’t threatened by competing leagues and argues that ODIs have become less relevant, suggesting it’s time for the cricketing world to move forward.

“Test cricket should always stay; we should dump the ODIs and keep the T20s. Kerry Packer did a great job in reviving the one-dayers, and I salute him, but the time is over for ODIs,” he said.

“Test cricket should move to the day-night format. But I see absolutely no threat to the IPL from any other leagues.”