Lalit Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has opened up about the hurdles the tournament faced before its successful launch in 2008. Despite being one of the fastest-growing cricket leagues globally today, the IPL initially struggled to gain interest from broadcasters and investors. Modi revealed that he pitched the idea to nearly 1,000 businessmen, but most failed to understand the concept or see its potential.

“We went to all the broadcasters. Nobody came in. Everybody came back with a no. I'm making presentations to over 1,000 businessmen. Ninety-nine per cent didn't understand what we were talking about,” Modi told Sportstar in a recent interview. He explained that the league had to compete for viewers with popular reality television, particularly the widely watched “Saas Bahu” serials. “I needed to attract the audience of the Saas Bahu shows on TV. That's where the money was. The bulk of the Indian advertising money sat on the eight o'clock time slot,” he added.

To capture this audience, Modi introduced night games starting at eight o’clock, combining cricket with entertainment. “I decided to do a paradigm shift. Night cricket. Eight o'clock start. Music, dancing, fun. I needed to attract women and children… that is where the money was,” he said. The strategy was designed to broaden viewership beyond traditional cricket fans and make the IPL a family-oriented spectacle.

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Modi also credited India’s 2007 T20 World Cup triumph and iconic moments, like Yuvraj Singh hitting six sixes in an over, for generating public interest. “India winning over Pakistan, huge, huge. We bring them back as heroes. Millions of people come. That helped it,” he said, emphasizing how these events helped set the stage for the IPL’s debut.

The IPL officially launched in 2008, initially broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television for 10 seasons before Star Sports acquired the rights. Modi chaired the tournament from 2008 to 2010, overseeing its early growth into a major sporting and entertainment phenomenon. His vision of blending cricket with music, spectacle, and prime-time entertainment ultimately transformed the IPL into a cultural and commercial juggernaut.

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