IPL founder and former league chairman Lalit Modi has forecast a dramatic escalation in player earnings over the next few years, arguing that the tournament’s financial ceiling will rise sharply by 2030. His broad prediction centres on the franchise player budget, which he linked to the current framework of IPL 2026 spending.
Quick facts
- Lalit Modi expects IPL stakes to become “extremely high” by 2030.
- He said the player purse is set to jump more than sevenfold from the IPL 2026 figure of Rs 125 crore per franchise.
- Modi suggested top players could make around Rs 150 crore for a season.
- He claimed the IPL player purse could reach about USD 100 million (roughly Rs 932 crore) per team per season.
- He also predicted top players playing 16 matches could earn around USD 1 million per game.
- On Thursday (IPL 2026), Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets.
- Prabhsimran Singh hit 80* off 31 balls; Shreyas Iyer made 66 off 35.
- Quinton de Kock scored 112* for MI; Naman Dhir added 50.
- Punjab chased 196 and finished on 198/3 with 21 balls remaining.
- Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless with figures of 0/41.
- Allah Ghazanfar’s 2/31 was MI’s only notable bowling return.
Modi’s argument was that franchises must allocate a fixed share of their overall spend to the playing group, and that this requirement will inflate as the league grows. He pointed to a theoretical team cap rising to around USD 100 million per season, which he said would translate into top contributors earning close to a million dollars per match.
He further expects the highest-impact three or four players in each squad to collect roughly USD 15–16 million over the course of a season, emphasising that the trend should be visible by 2030. Speaking on The Overlap Cricket, he said he has “no doubt” this will happen, framing it as an inevitable result of the league’s widening financial reach.
IPL 2026: Punjab Kings extend the winning run
On Thursday in IPL 2026, Punjab Kings kept their momentum going as they handed Mumbai Indians a seven-wicket defeat. The loss was MI’s fourth straight setback, while PBKS moved past the target with time to spare after a dominant display in the chase.
Despite Mumbai posting 195/6, the total never looked truly safe on a pitch that suited the batters. Quinton de Kock anchored the early recovery with an unbeaten 112, while Naman Dhir’s 50 helped MI build a solid 132-run stand for the third wicket, taking them into a competitive zone.
However, Punjab’s batting power proved too much. Prabhsimran Singh, facing Jasprit Bumrah, made MI pay for an early slip in discipline, launching a fluent 80 not out from just 31 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes. Shreyas Iyer complemented him by reaching his third fifty in as many outings, striking 66 off 35 deliveries with five boundaries and four maximums.
Together, the pair put on a 139-run partnership for the third wicket, turning a workable score into a platform for victory. Bumrah finished wicketless at 0/41, and once Punjab’s top order settled, the hosts’ bowlers struggled to regain control.
Chasing 196, PBKS crossed the line comfortably, reaching 198/3 with 21 balls remaining. Mumbai’s attack disappointed as a unit, with Allah Ghazanfar’s 2/31 the lone stand-out return, and the rest of the bowling efforts failing to apply pressure at the key stages.
