Lalit Modi has firmly pushed back against Kevin Pietersen’s suggestion that England’s The Hundred could evolve into a competition comparable to the Indian Premier League within the next few years, insisting that no tournament can match the IPL’s scale and impact.
Pietersen had taken to X to argue that The Hundred “won’t die in 3 years’ time,” adding that it could become a T20-style event within three years. He went on to claim it might eventually turn into the UK’s equivalent of the IPL.
Modi responded directly to those comments, saying, “Not in this lifetime will any T20 tournament will be like the IPL my friend,” before outlining six reasons he believes The Hundred will struggle to reach that level.
One key point in Modi’s argument was that cricket is not the leading sport in the UK. “It’s football followed by rugby followed by racing followed by tennis followed by darts,” he said, explaining that multiple structural factors limit how far the tournament can grow.
He also stressed that The Hundred lacks several ingredients needed for long-term expansion. “Nor the die hard fan base. Nor the population to support it. Nor the advertisers to back it. Nor the Indian players. They will never be allowed,” he added.
The latest exchange follows Modi’s earlier remarks in which he suggested The Hundred would not last beyond three years. Pietersen had disagreed, maintaining that the competition could continue and even potentially shift into a T20 format.
In his most recent statement, Modi returned to the subject of economics, arguing that the financial realities of cricket in the UK would prevent The Hundred from reaching IPL-like heights. He also suggested the tournament’s ceiling might be closer to SA20 than the IPL.
“So better to see the reality and see it more like a South African T 20 league at best. That to if it’s the only short format in uk then the teams will break even or make a marginal profit. Keep in mind @ECB_cricket bread and butter will continue to be the bilateral games and you all should hope that is the case as short format requires all the above ingredients to get people to pay even pay a fraction of the 35 pounds per month for the football package,” Modi concluded.
Modi, who currently lives in London and has faced charges related to financial irregularities and money laundering in India, has reiterated that no domestic league can come close to the IPL.
