Lalit Modi, widely credited with helping transform the Indian Premier League into a global attraction, has explained why Pakistan cricketers are no longer part of the tournament. Speaking candidly on the issue, the former IPL chief linked their continued absence to political interference deeply embedded within the Pakistan Cricket Board, arguing that such influence has made any progress increasingly hard.
Modi recalled that Pakistani players were present in the inaugural edition of the league. However, he said the landscape shifted dramatically after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. In his view, mounting India–Pakistan political friction led the BCCI to prevent Pakistani participation, and that position has stayed in place as relations between the two countries have continued to worsen. He also noted that since then, India and Pakistan have largely avoided bilateral cricketing contests, instead crossing paths only during International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) events.
Modi’s explanation for the break with Pakistan
- Pakistani players featured when the IPL began, but their presence did not last.
- The 26/11 attacks in Mumbai triggered a major change in the political climate between India and Pakistan.
- With tensions rising, the BCCI blocked Pakistani participation, a decision Modi said has not been reversed.
- Modi argued that if the PCB had operated independently at the time, there might have been room to find a workable path for Pakistan players in the league.
- He added that ongoing government involvement and political control inside the PCB have only deepened the challenge, making resolution more difficult.
In the podcast, Modi said he was the person who brought Pakistani players into the tournament initially, but felt forced to move them after the “massacre in Bombay.” He stressed that without political influence over the Pakistan board, there could have been “traction” toward a solution. Instead, he claimed the PCB is now heavily politicised by those in power in Pakistan, with political forces “pulling the levers” and turning the situation into a political matter rather than a cricketing one. He warned that tensions at that level are unlikely to fade, adding that he fears for the players caught in the fallout.
No quick fix for India–Pakistan tensions
Modi also suggested that an immediate turnaround is unlikely. He pointed again to the continued politicisation of the PCB as the central obstacle to easing India–Pakistan friction, stating that the current arrangement in Pakistan makes improvement in the near term improbable.
He further drew attention to Bangladesh as a cautionary example. Modi said Bangladesh faced a comparable problem and even ended up missing the 2026 T20 World Cup. He urged that Pakistan should not repeat the same kind of errors, implying that politicised cricket governance can lead to long-lasting consequences for players and teams.
“I don’t see an immediate solution right now,” Modi said, referencing the difficulties that Bangladesh attempted to navigate. He added that, in his view, Bangladesh should not have ended up in that position in the first place.
