Lalit Modi has renewed his push for a major restructuring of cricket’s global calendar, arguing that the IPL should expand into a six-to-seven-month competition window rather than shorten its schedule. Responding to an article by Harsh Goenka writing in the Times of India, Modi agreed with several concerns raised around the modern state of cricket but rejected Goenka’s suggestion that the IPL calendar should become more compact. “I don’t agree on shortening the tournament,” Modi wrote on Instagram while sharing Goenka’s article.
Modi proposes expanded IPL calendar
Modi argued that the IPL should evolve into a longer home-and-away competition staged across a broader annual window. “IPL as a format could now move to a full window of home and away played for 6-7 months starting in November and played Thursday – Friday – Saturday- Sunday,” he wrote, while also insisting that “the 94 games required under the structure proposed need to be adhered to.”
He further suggested that bilateral cricket could eventually operate around IPL windows in a scheduling system similar to global football calendars. “BCCI should now push this agenda thru,” Modi wrote, before adding that international cricket “could be midweek” or played during temporary pauses in the IPL season.
The comments represent one of Modi’s clearest public endorsements yet of an IPL-centric global cricket structure, with franchise cricket positioned as the sport’s primary commercial engine.
Long-running vision for IPL-led cricket structure
As previously reported by cricexec, Modi has repeatedly advocated for broader structural reforms built around the IPL’s commercial strength and audience scale. Earlier this year, while speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Modi proposed IPL-style ownership models and format changes as part of a wider attempt to revive struggling Test cricket.
As reported previously by cricexec, Modi also warned in an interview with Sportstar that the IPL’s incomplete home-and-away implementation was costing the league and wider cricket ecosystem significant commercial value, arguing that the tournament’s full financial potential had not yet been realised.
Goenka’s concerns triggered wider debate
Goenka’s original article focused on what he described as the need for the IPL to evolve beyond its current model despite its commercial success. Writing in the Times of India, he raised concerns around batting-heavy matches, fan fatigue, stadium infrastructure and the overall matchday experience, while also suggesting the tournament could benefit from a shorter schedule.
Modi publicly agreed with several of the broader operational concerns raised in the piece, particularly around stadium standards. “A great article by my good friend @harshgoenka on the ACTUAL STATE OF OUR CRICKET. Some enlightening points like stadiums,” Modi wrote.
He ultimately diverged, however, on the issue of tournament length, arguing that a larger IPL footprint within the cricket calendar is now inevitable. “It’s inevitable that will happen to cricket,” Modi wrote.
The exchange reflects a broader industry conversation around how the IPL’s continued commercial growth could reshape scheduling, broadcasting and the balance between franchise and international cricket over the coming decade.
