IPL mastermind Lalit Modi has sparked a fresh debate by claiming that the Indian Premier League is suffering massive financial losses due to its current scheduling. Despite having 10 teams, the tournament currently hosts only 74 matches. Modi argues that if the league followed a full home-and-away format, the number of matches would rise to 94, creating significantly higher value.

According to his estimates, these missing 20 matches result in a loss of approximately ₹2,400 crore in broadcasting rights alone. Since the revenue is shared between the BCCI and the franchises, each team is losing out on nearly ₹120 crore per season. “The current system fails to maximize the actual financial potential of the league,” Modi stated.

He further criticized the decision to increase teams without extending the calendar, suggesting that if time was a constraint, the expansion was unnecessary. Modi also predicted the decline of ODI cricket, advising the cricketing world to focus on Tests and T20s as they remain the primary crowd-pullers. His analysis suggests that the overall valuation of the teams would have been much higher had the 94-match blueprint been implemented.