The Indian Premier League (IPL) has attracted international attention due to its success since its start. According to a recent report, advisers to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have discussed the idea of turning the IPL into a holding company.
According to the article, Salman has conferred with representatives of the Indian government over the potential transfer of the Indian Premier League into a holding company with a valuation of up to $30 billion.
Speaking to Revsportz, IPL founder Lalit Modi expressed his thoughts about Saudi Arabia’s investment in the league and said he thinks ODI cricket is dying out completely after the ODI World Cup. He also disclosed that he hasn’t spoken to the BCCI in over 15 years and that he thinks there can be 20 teams in the IPL with a second division that will play after the league stage, with promotion and relegation.
“I see 50-over (ODIs) going completely. I see no relevance to it. It’s there for the sake of being there. There’s only relevance to the Test. A four-day Test, not even a five-day Test – a day/night Test because people don’t have the luxury from morning to evening. But if it’s a day/night Test, they have time after offs to go and watch the game,” Lalit Modi was quoted as saying by Revsportz.
“And the 2020 format. I don’t have an inside view of the BCCI. They haven’t spoken to me in 15 years. I am not privy to that but if I was there, I would definitely be thinking of a second secondary-tier league with ownership coming in again, at the second level out there. Not at the valuation of billion dollars but at the valuation of 50 million, 100 million dollars which was the valuation of IPL in year one,” Lalit added.
“There can be up to 20 teams, coming in from the secondary league and two teams are related up and two teams are relegated down will make it extremely competitive, extremely valuable to the players and make a new game altogether,” Lalit concluded.
The IPL will see significant investment from Saudi Arabia, which will increase the league’s appeal at the global level. Saudi Arabia’s interest in the IPL has not yet been confirmed, and it is unclear if the BCCI is prepared to turn the league into a holding company in the near future.
