"Innovation Not So Much From The BCCI...": Lalit Modi's Intriguing Take On IPL's Growth

The former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner, Lalit Modi, said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has done a fantastic job with the league, taking the games to newer cities and markets to open up the entire country to the tournament. While speaking to Backstage with Boria on Revsportz, "The IPL has grown to be the world's best sports league and has a valuation second to none, and one has to say the BCCI has done a fantastic job with it. The new group in the BCCI that is running the show now has it right. They have taken games to newer cities and markets and opened up the entire country to the IPL."

"That is how you bring in newer constituencies of people within the fold of the tournament and it has been great to see them do that. When I sit here in Austria and see fans from across the country get behind the tournament, I have to say I am thrilled and a lot of credit must go to the BCCI for taking the tournament ahead and making it bigger and better," he added.

Lalit, however, pointed out that there needs to be more innovation on the part of team owners for merchandising, since it has really not taken off. He said that there needs to be a centralised IPL story and ticketing is something that can be improved upon.

"Innovation not so much from the BCCI but more from the team owners. Now most teams have a strong fan base. And yet, merchandising has not really taken off. I would want to see the team owners come together and work on merchandising. It is an opportunity lost. They should open a centralised IPL store and take the story forward. Even ticketing is something the team owners can improve on. Rather than doing their own things, they should do things collectively."

"For the BCCI, may be they