“That day is not too far,” Lalit Modi predicts IPL will soon cross NFL
Modi also pointed out that Afghanistan, when IPL started, was an associate nation but now it has become a full member of the ICC due to IPL.
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Lalit Modi
The Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s richest cricketing league, celebrated its 1000th match yesterday during the clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). Lalit Modi, the creator of IPL, got nostalgic and emotional and claimed the Indian league, which is growing faster every year, will soon cross National Football League (NFL) as the No.1 league in any sport in the world.
In 2008, Modi founded an eight-team IPL and over the years its brand value has gone up. The media rights currently stand at a staggering $6.2 billion. Modi believes his brainchild is growing from strength to strength all due to the fans.
“It’s all because of the fans and how they have embraced the league. It’s only looking like it is growing from strength to strength. It won’t be long before the IPL becomes the No.1 league in any sport in the world. It is behind the NFL now, No. 2 currently. Going by the rate and speed of the IPL’s growth, that day is not too far,” Modi told Cricbuzz.
Modi then talked about his statement in the early years of IPL. He said that IPL is recession-proof which has now turned out to be exactly that. He now proudly claimed that recessions and war haven’t affected the league as fans come to the stadium in huge numbers and watch the matches from around the world.
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Lalit Modi points out IPL helped the growth of cricket in Afghanistan
Rashid Khan‘s name comes up first whenever one thinks of Afghanistan cricketers. He has often trapped world-class batters and slowly he emerged as a world-class spinner in the world in current times. Apart from him, Noor Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq, Mohammad Nabi, and several other Afghan players have played in the league.
Modi pointed out that Afghanistan when IPL started, was an associate nation but now it has become a full member of the ICC due to IPL. Afghanistan even qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup ahead of former champions Sri Lanka and West Indies.
“The growth of Afghanistan as a cricketing nation is owed to the league. You can see some of the finest players in the world are coming from Afghanistan and that is, no doubt, due to the IPL,” Modi said.
Though Modi is the founder of IPL, he is also a controversial figure. He was accused of money laundering, offering bribes, betting, and other allegations, owing to which he was sacked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the IPL chairman in 2010. He now lives in London as a fugitive and still maintains that he was not part of any misconduct.
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Gouri Das
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