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“Broke Every Rule…”: Lalit Modi Admits How Far He Went To Make IPL A Grand Success

Poulomi Chakraborty

Lalit Modi With Shah Rukh Khan  (Source: @LalitKModi/x.com)Lalit Modi With Shah Rukh Khan  (Source: @LalitKModi/x.com)

If any revolutionary T20 league has changed the face of T20 cricket in the cricket world, undoubtedly, the name will be the Indian Premier League. From getting introduced as a small T20 league to becoming the richest one, IPL has come a long way.

Amidst the sky-high success of the league, the man behind the explosive idea was Lalit Modi. In a recent podcast, the former IPL Chairman recalled how he pushed every boundary to ensure the grand success of the league’s historic opening match.

Lalit Modi Shares His Desperation For IPL’s Opening Match

In 2008, when the T20 format was limited only to the international stage, Lalit Modi dared to have an idea of arranging IPL, and the move marked a revolution in the cricket world. From being a franchise league to a T20 giant, IPL has gone through a major revolution and also inspired the cricket world to popularize the format.

But was the start that easy? Definitely, not. In a candid podcast with Michael Clarke, Lalit Modi looked back on the IPL’s early struggles. Speaking on that, he revealed how desperately he broke broadcasting rights for the opening match of the IPL.

“Everything, everything was dependent on that one game. I broke every rule in the book that day. I signed the contract, an exclusive contract with Sony, but Sony didn't have the reach. I said open the signal. Now it was available everywhere, right? And I told all the broadcasters who lost out, all of you, all news channels, go live,” he said.

“Sony said, 'I'll sue you'. I said 'Sue me later, forget about it? Ok, we are going live now because you don't have the reach'. I needed everybody to watch the first game. If the first game had flopped, I was dead,” he added.

As he risked everything for the first match, the IPL started in a grand way. As the Kolkata Knight Riders faced the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first-ever IPL game, the cricket world was treated to Brandon McCullum’s blazing 158* run knock, which is still iconic in IPL’s record book. RCB crumbled for just 82 runs, handing KKR a thumping 140-run win in the tournament’s very first game.