Lalit Modi has firmly pushed back against Kevin Pietersen\u2019s suggestion that England\u2019s 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\u2019s scale and impact.<\/p>\n
Pietersen had taken to X to argue that The Hundred \u201cwon\u2019t die in 3 years\u2019 time,\u201d adding that it could become a T20-style event within three years. He went on to claim it might eventually turn into the UK\u2019s equivalent of the IPL.<\/p>\n
Modi responded directly to those comments, saying, \u201cNot in this lifetime will any T20 tournament will be like the IPL my friend,\u201d before outlining six reasons he believes The Hundred will struggle to reach that level.<\/p>\n
One key point in Modi\u2019s argument was that cricket is not the leading sport in the UK. \u201cIt\u2019s football followed by rugby followed by racing followed by tennis followed by darts,\u201d he said, explaining that multiple structural factors limit how far the tournament can grow.<\/p>\n
He also stressed that The Hundred lacks several ingredients needed for long-term expansion. \u201cNor 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The latest exchange follows Modi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s ceiling might be closer to SA20 than the IPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo better to see the reality and see it more like a South African T 20 league at best. That to if it\u2019s 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,\u201d Modi concluded.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lalit Modi has firmly pushed back against Kevin Pietersen\u2019s suggestion that England\u2019s The Hundred could evolve into a competition comparable to the Indian Premier League…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Lalit Modi vs Pietersen: Why IPL still leads The Hundred","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Lalit Modi slams Kevin Pietersen\u2019s claim The Hundred could match the IPL soon, saying no league can rival IPL\u2019s scale, impact and power.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n