Lalit Modi says IPL can be held in January or October without ICC's permission

A statement by Lalit Modi, who gave the world the idea of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is being discussed these days. In it he has directly questioned the IPL's schedule. Modi had to leave India because of certain conflicts of interest, but even after leaving the country he has spoken from time to time on social media on several matters, including IPL teams.

Modi had made this demand earlier too, and has now once again raised the question of changing the timing of the tournament. The event is currently held in March-April. He has suggested to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it consider starting it in January or October. According to Modi, the IPL has now become a major commercial force in world cricket and has acquired the ability to set its own calendar.

In a social media post, Modi set out his views on the IPL and the international cricket calendar. He said there is no need to ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a separate window for the IPL. It is the BCCI's own domestic tournament, run under its management, so the right to decide when to hold it lies with the BCCI.

Modi also said it is necessary to plan around international cricket commitments and player availability. But that does not mean the IPL must run strictly according to a fixed global calendar, he said.

In his view, the IPL is no longer trying to make a place for itself in world cricket; it has already earned that place. It has become a big commercial opportunity for Indian cricket and for overseas players. Modi said that when the IPL began in 2008, many people doubted whether it would succeed. Later, however, the entertainment industry too had to adapt to the IPL's popularity.

He cited examples: because of the IPL, film releases were pushed back and the timings of prime-time television programmes were changed. Modi said the IPL did not ask the entertainment industry for time; rather, the industry adapted itself to the IPL.

Modi compared the IPL with the English Premier League (EPL). In his words, the IPL has achieved in cricket the same importance the EPL holds in football. Players, viewers, sponsors and broadcast rights from around the world together make the IPL a large commercial structure. He said a large part of the annual cricket earnings of many international players depends on IPL contracts.

Modi also spoke on the talk of reviving the Champions League T20 for teams from the world's major T20 leagues. He said he too had played a role in shaping the original idea of the tournament. But, according to him, the situation in cricket has now changed. Groups owning IPL franchises are involved in several international T20 leagues. If teams under the same ownership were to play each other, questions of conflict of interest could arise.

Modi suggests that serious thought should be given to moving the IPL away from the rising heat of April-May. The tournament could begin in January or October. This would give players better weather to play in. It would also create new opportunities to raise broadcast rights, advertising and commercial earnings.

Modi said the BCCI has a large audience and commercial strength, and that to use them well the board should take decisions with confidence. It is not right to expect the IPL to always follow the old global cricket calendar. He said emphatically, "The IPL was created not to follow the market, but to change the market."