New Delhi: Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi has claimed the league was never intended to be a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) subsidiary and that it was proposed as an independent company initially. Modi was one of the brains behind the start of theIPL in 2008.

The fugitive businessman served as the chairman of the Indian Premier League since inception in 2008 till 2010. Modi revealed the initial plan was to run IPL as a separate entity, however, their proposal to make it an independent company was rejected, and BCCI decided to take control of theleague.

The Indian Premier League is not only the biggest and richest T20 league in the world but also among the most elite sporting properties globally. IPL’s valuation has skyrocketed over the years, placing it among the best sporting leagues in the world. Modi said the league was initially proposed as an independent company.

“That was how it was proposed on September 13, 2007, and the BCCI governing council approved that the IPL was not a subsidiary of the BCCI. It was an independent company,” the former IPL chairman told Sportstar.

Revealing details of the initial plan, Modi claimed the IPL was supposed to be run by a body comprising all the owners of the franchises, as in the NFL in the US. However, BCCI’s intervention meant the Indian cricket board gained control of the league. Modi said he will reveal the original IPL constitution in the future.

“I got a lot of backlash… ‘if you want to launch it, it’s going to be this way.’ It was set up with the owner sitting on the board and controlling it like the NFL. I will reveal that constitution one day, but that is actually the fact of what was approved in the Special General Meeting prior to the press conference that I held. Thereafter, it was changed in November or December 2007, in Jaipur, where others got involved and said that this can’t be done,” Modi revealed.

Had original structure remained, IPL would have become untouchable: Lalit Modi

Modi believes the Indian Premier League would have become untouchable, and an ecosystem in itself had the original structure been followed. The former IPL chairman claimed IPL would have been far bigger than what it is today if the owners retained control of the league.

“Had the original structure remained, with owners represented on the board and the league controlling its own operations, the IPL would by now have been an ecosystem unto itself. It would have been untouchable by any company of any kind on the planet. We would be controlling everything and marketing our own product through our own streaming system globally by now,” said Modi.

IPL has witnessed exponential growth over the years, and reportedly stands only behind the NFL in terms of annual revenue. Recently, IPL franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were sold for $1.78 billion and $1.63 billion, respectively, marking the biggest franchise sales in the league’s history.

IPL started with eight teams in 2008 before expanding to ten teams with the addition of the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants in 2022. IPL 2026, the 19th edition of the cash-rich league, is currently underway in India.