1,000 Businessmen Rejected IPL, Founder Lalit Modi's Stunning Revelation: 'Needed To Attract Saas Bahu Audience'
Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL, revealed the challenges that the tournament faced before its launch in 2008.
- IPL founder Lalit Modi revealed the challenges the tournament faced before its launch
- "I'm making presentations to over 1,000 businessmen. Ninety-nine per cent didn't understand," Modi said
- "I needed to attract the audience of the Saas Bahu shows on TV. That's where the money was," he added
The Indian Premier League (IPL) may be one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world now but its foundation years weren't without challenges. Lalit Modi, the founder and former chairman of the IPL, has revealed how broadcasters were unwilling to invest in the tournament. Modi revealed that he presented his ideas regarding the IPL to nearly 1,000 businessmen, but majority of them failed to understand the concept. Modi stated that the IPL was fighting to get the audience of reality television shows.
"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," said Modi in an interview with Sportstar.
"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.
Modi revealed that he decided to introduce night games in the IPL, coupled with entertainment, to catch the attention of the Indian audience.
"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 explained.
Modi further elaborated that India's triumph in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and incidents like Yuvraj Singh's six sixes in one over helped boost the interest towards the IPL.
"India winning over Pakistan, huge, huge. We bring them back as heroes. Millions of people come. That helped it," Modi said.
The IPL eventually started in 2008, going on to be broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television for 10 seasons, before Star Sports took over the rights. Modi, meanwhile, ran the tournament for three years, from 2008 to 2010.