New Delhi, November 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi has renewed his call for the tournament to move beyond its current April-May schedule, proposing either a January start or a carefully structured October-April calendar. He has also argued that the IPL does not need an International Cricket Council (ICC)-allocated window.
In a social media post, Modi said the IPL is a domestic tournament owned and operated by the BCCI, which can decide its schedule while managing international commitments and player availability.
“The IPL does not need the ICC to give it a window,” he wrote, adding that the tournament “does not need a window” and can “create its own”.
Modi said the IPL had evolved into a major commercial platform for Indian cricket and international players, arguing that world cricket must recognise the position it has established. Comparing its influence with that of the English Premier League in football, he said its strength came from its product, franchises, supporters, talent and commercial model.
Recalling the league’s launch in 2008, Modi said the entertainment industry had adjusted its schedules around the tournament, with film releases postponed and prime-time television disrupted. He argued that the IPL had become powerful enough to shape the wider cricket calendar rather than seek space within it.
Modi also opposed reviving the Champions League T20, saying the cricket landscape had changed since the tournament was discontinued. He pointed to franchise ownership groups operating across multiple international T20 leagues, which could create governance and conflict-of-interest concerns if commonly owned teams competed against each other.
He further argued that another competition would compete for the same players, broadcasters and sponsors while adding pressure to an already stretched cricket calendar. Instead, he called for strengthening the IPL.
Proposing a change to the tournament’s schedule, the 62-year-old said the BCCI should seriously examine moving it away from the increasingly difficult April-May heat. He said a January start or an October-April competition calendar could offer better playing conditions, more valuable broadcasting inventory and sustainable commercial expansion.
“The IPL was never built to follow the market. It was built to change the market,” Modi said, warning that continuing with an outdated global cricket calendar could carry economic costs.
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