Kevin Petersen, Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi has rejected former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen’s claim that The Hundred could become the UK’s version of the Indian Premier League in the next few years, saying no tournament can match the Indian Premier League.Pietersen wrote on theIn response, Modi said: “No T20 tournament in this lifetime will be like the IPL, my friend,” and listed six reasons why he believes The Hundred cannot reach that level.
Modi said that cricket is not the number one sport in the UK. “It’s football, followed by rugby, then racing, then tennis, then darts,” he said, adding that there were several factors limiting the growth of the tournament.
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“Neither the die-hard fan base. Nor the population that supports it.
Nor do advertisers support it. Neither do the Indian players. “They will never be allowed.”This exchange comes on the heels of Modi’s previous statements where he said that The Hundred would not live more than three years. Pietersen disagreed with this view and said the competition would continue, possibly in a T20 format.
In his latest response, Modi said that the economics of UK cricket will not allow The Hundred to match the Indian Premier League. He also said that the tournament could at best be similar to SA20.
“So best to see the reality and see it like the South African T20 League at best. If this is the only short format in the UK the teams will break even or make a marginal profit. Keep in mind that @ECB_cricket cricket will still be bilateral games and you should all hope that is the case as the short format requires all the above ingredients to get people paying even a fraction of the £35 a month for a football package,” he concluded.
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Modi, who now lives in London and faces charges of financial irregularities and money laundering in India, reiterated that no league can come close to the Indian Premier League.