New Delhi, September 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi has welcomed the rapid growth of state-level T20 leagues in India, saying they can provide an important pathway for young and undiscovered cricketers, while warning that their expansion must be accompanied by stringent integrity and governance measures.
Modi said state T20 competitions were a “positive development for Indian cricket” and could help players perform under pressure, attract the attention of state associations and IPL franchises, and progress to higher levels of the game.
“I think state leagues are a positive development for Indian cricket. This was bound to happen as the IPL ecosystem grew, and if properly structured, these leagues can become an excellent pathway for young and undiscovered talent to perform under pressure, get noticed and potentially graduate to the IPL and higher levels,” Modi told IANS.
However, he stressed that the growing number of such competitions also created significant responsibilities for state cricket associations.
According to Modi, smaller leagues could be vulnerable to approaches involving bookmakers, match-fixing, spot-fixing and player manipulation, besides potential conflicts of interest and questionable ownership or financial interests.
He called for robust anti-corruption protocols, player education, controlled access to players and dressing rooms, scrutiny of owners and officials, transparent contracts and payments, independent audits and monitoring of unusual betting patterns.
Modi, 62, also linked the integrity of state leagues to the governance of the associations overseeing them. He said a league could not be expected to operate transparently if its supervising institution itself faced serious governance questions.
Referring to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), Modi said allegations and controversies concerning governance, transparency, conflicts and the influence of powerful administrators had been raised publicly over the years. He also referred to Rajiv Shukla as a prominent figure associated with UPCA and Indian cricket administration, and said such questions should be independently examined and addressed transparently.
“The lesson for every state association should therefore be simple: do not allow cricket administration to become a private club controlled by a handful of individuals,” Modi said.
He advocated regulatory oversight, disclosure of conflicts of interest, scrutiny of franchise ownership and funding, independent audits and greater accountability for administrators.
Modi said the expansion of T20 cricket had created substantial opportunities for Indian players but warned that “expansion without governance can very quickly become a liability”.
“The next generation of leagues must make sure that integrity grows just as quickly as the money does. Protecting the integrity of the game must come before everything else,” he said.
Modi also highlighted the importance of institution-building in an Instagram post, writing: “I built the IPL so it would never need me. Nearly two decades later, it keeps breaking records. That’s not success. That’s institution building.”
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