‘I Beg You to Play’: Lalit Modi Reveals Convincing Indian Legends for the 2007 T20 World Cup

Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi revealed he pleaded with senior Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to play in the 2007 T20 World Cup, but they refused. This led to a young team under MS Dhoni winning the tournament, which kick-started the T20 revolution in India and globally, a stark contrast to today's standards.

The former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, Lalit Modi, made a revelation about convincing the senior Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, to feature in the 2007 T20 World Cup, the first edition of the format that would eventually define the future of global cricket.

Team India, led by MS Dhoni, was one of the 12 teams to have participated in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, and eventually, the Men in Blue emerged as the winners after defeating Pakistan in the final. However, India headed into the tournament without the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Zaheer Khan, leaving the cricketing world surprised.

Following the disappointing group-stage exit in the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean, Indian cricket was in a state of turmoil. With the senior core facing heavy criticism, the T20 tournament was viewed by many established stars as a low-priority event compared to the longer formats.

‘Beg You to Play’: Modi’s Failed Pitch to the Legends

In an interview on the ANI Podcast, Lalit Modi has revealed that he personally approached the Indian team during their 2007 tour of England to plead for their participation in the upcoming tournament in South Africa. However, the former IPL chairman faced resistance from the senior players, who dismissed his entreaties with open skepticism.

“I went to every player in the dressing room in England when India was touring in 2007. I went, and I said, 'Please, I beg you to play the T20.' They said, 'Lalit, are you joking? What is this stupid game? We don't want to play it.'” Modi said.

“Everybody said that to me in the dressing room. 'Oh, we've had a long tour. We want to be with our families," he added.

The senior players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid, ultimately opted to skip the tournament entirely, citing exhaustion and a lack of interest in the untested format. After the BCCI decided to send a ‘completely raw and green’ squad led by a young MS Dhoni, the team’s eventual historic victory not only shocked the skeptics but also catalyzed the T20 revolution that would eventually change the landscape of the sport forever.

‘Would You Accept That Today?’: Modi Reflects on Changing Standards

Further speaking on the BCCI’s decision to send the India squad with young players, Modi emphasized how drastic the shift in perception has been over the years. The former IPL chairman added that the very idea of fielding a ‘B’ team would be unthinkable for the public and the cricket board in today’s era.

“The BCCI didn't even send the main team, the India team, to South Africa to play the World Cup T20. They sent a second team. 'Let's not even send the India team. Let's put our new team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.' Completely raw. Completely green,” Lalit Modi said.

“The Tendulkars, the Dravids, the Saurav Gangulys; none of them played the T20 World Cup. Would you accept that today? Today, if the Indian team is to go to the World Cup, any World Cup, would you accept a B team? Would the public accept a B team? Would the board accept a B team?" he added.

When the legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly were dropped from the MS Dhoni-led squad for the T20 World Cup in 2007, the cricket landscape was vastly different.

At the time, the format was widely dismissed by veterans as a trivial distraction, leading to their collective decision to step aside and focus on traditional formats. Since ODIs and Tests were the main pillars of cricketing prestige and professional longevity, the T20 format struggled to find legitimacy among the established elite, who viewed it as a fleeting experiment rather than the future of the game.

Evolution of T20 Cricket

Lalit Modi played a pivotal role in the evolution of T20 cricket in India by introducing the Indian Premier League, which has now become the most lucrative and globally recognized T20 league in the world.

Speaking on the growth of T20 cricket in India, the former IPL chairman stated that the format initially had no belief or viewership in India, but popularity drives advertising and revenue—more eyeballs bring money, while low viewership leads to no commercial value.

“Nobody believed in the T20 cricket in India. If there are no eyeballs, there's no advertising dollars. There's no advertising dollars, there's no subscription.” Modi said.

“If someone is watching, then there will be money. If no one is watching, then there will be no money. Today, anything that has eyeballs is going to get the money from the advertisers," he added.

The T20 cricket in India has evolved after Team India’s historic T20 World Cup triumph and the inception of the IPL, which transformed the format from a commercial uncertainty into a juggernaut that commands record-breaking viewership and unprecedented investment.

Over the last several years, many T20 leagues around the world, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Lanka Premier League (LPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and the Big Bash League (BBL), have followed in the IPL's footsteps, further cementing the T20 format as a global phenomenon.