Lalit Modi is often hailed as the mastermind behind the Indian Premier League (IPL). When the Board of Control for Cricket in India kicked off the IPL, Modi took the reins as commissioner. However, his journey took a turn when he faced match-fixing allegations, which ultimately led to his ousting. Now, Modi is taking a stand against the board for scrapping the traditional home-and-away format of this prestigious 20-over tournament.

In a recent interview, Modi expressed his concerns that not hosting two home games and two away games for each of the ten franchises is causing the BCCI to miss out on significant match revenue. He pointed out that all franchises are bound by a contract to play home and away matches against every team in a season, a practice that has been disrupted since the league expanded with the addition of two new franchises in 2022. 

"For every game, the BCCI gets 50 per cent, and the remaining 50 per cent is distributed to teams. Consequently, teams are now losing out on 20 games. It is a contractual obligation, given the fees they are paying, to provide them with home-and-away fixtures," Modi told Sportstar.

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The Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans joined the lucrative tournament in 2022 and have quickly built a strong fan following. Nevertheless, Modi argues that the BCCI shouldn't have increased the number of teams if they couldn't maintain the traditional home-and-away format. 

"The home-and-away format is where the value lies. If there is no space in the calendar, do not increase the number of teams. It is as simple as that. That is not what we sold. Has everybody signed off on this? I guarantee they have not. Why are they not playing home and away? There are excuses, but it is a contractual obligation and a commercial transaction for the teams," Modi expressed further.

Currently, the IPL features 74 matches each season, which includes 70 league games and four playoff matches. However, if the league were to revert to the old format with ten teams, it would mean adding 20 more matches, bringing the total to 94 games in a season. 

Lalit Modi is advocating for a return to the classic home-and-away format to prevent revenue losses and ensure fairness among teams. He believes that expanding the league without adhering to this system has led to an imbalance. Modi suggests that reinstating the traditional format could be beneficial for both the franchises and the tournament as a whole.