Future of cricket is on digital platforms, says IPL founder Lalit Modi

IPL founder Lalit Modi predicts the league will double in size in three years. He asserts that declining TV ratings reflect a shift to OTT platforms, not a loss of interest, and that the future of cricket viewership is entirely digital.

Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi has expressed confidence that the cash-rich T20 league will double in size over the next three years, while asserting that the future of cricket viewership lies on digital platforms rather than traditional television.

Since its inception in 2008, the IPL has witnessed remarkable growth in terms of viewership, commercial value and global reach, evolving into one of the world's most-watched sporting leagues. Speaking to ANI exclusively about the future trajectory of the tournament, the IPL founder was asked how he sees the league evolving in the coming years. "Double in three years," Lalit Modi said.

The inaugural season of IPL attracted millions of television viewers across India, and over the years, the league consistently expanded its audience through increased broadcast reach, star players, competitive franchises and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms. The popularity of the league surged further with the widespread adoption of smartphones and OTT platforms, enabling fans to watch matches on the move.

Today, the tournament attracts hundreds of millions of viewers across television and digital platforms each season, making it one of the most valuable and widely followed cricket properties in the world.

Viewership Moving from TV to OTT

Responding to a question about reports of declining viewership, Lalit Modi said the trend reflects changing audience behaviour rather than diminishing interest in the tournament, with viewers increasingly shifting towards OTT platforms. "It's going down on television. Yeah, Television is a dumb box. Everything is on your vertical. Everything is moving to OTT. And I always said it would. We are the fastest-growing OTT country. We have a billion people who are interested in cricket. They are watching it on the go," he said.

Call for Better OTT Audience Metrics

Highlighting the growing significance of digital consumption, Lalit Modi said current audience measurement systems do not fully capture the scale of viewership on OTT platforms and called for more comprehensive metrics. "The data is much better. There is no rating information on OTT right now. That needs to come out. And you're looking at somebody putting on a box and the signal going through it. And you don't know whether somebody is watching. Now you get real data on who is watching when. And nobody's going to watch the whole match. I'm globally travelling," he added.

IPL's Global Dominance

The IPL founder also said the league continues to dominate conversations wherever he travels around the world. Asked whether people frequently discuss the IPL with him, Modi replied, "That's all they talk about. Everybody. That's all they talk about. They don't talk about the Modi family business. They don't talk about any other businesses of ours. And everybody just wants to talk about the IPL."

IPL 2026 Final Recap

Meanwhile, the IPL continues to strengthen its position as one of the most influential sporting brands globally, with sustained growth in fan engagement, sponsorship and digital consumption.

In the IPL 2026 final held in Ahmedabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained their title with a victory over Gujarat Titans, successfully defending their championship crown. RCB gunned down a tricky 156 runs to join five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the elite list of clubs to have won back-to-back IPL titles. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)