While the Indian Premier League (IPL) is growing in terms of popularity and profits year after year, England’s The Hundred franchise league seems to be struggling to attract cricket fans. Since franchise leagues are considered the best business model across the world, revenue plays a vital role in their success.
Fans are worried about the future of The Hundred. Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen believes that the league model will be changed in the near future under the supervision of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). However, IPL founder Lalit Modi has a different view on this.
Kevin Pietersen’s prediction on The Hundred
Responding to an ‘X’ comment, Pietersen said The Hundred will adopt a 20-over format like the IPL to attract more crowds and lucrative deals to achieve success.
Kevin Pietersen wrote in his response, “This will be the UK version of IPL. The format will change to T20.”
Lalit Modi’s reaction to Peterson’s prediction
In response to the former cricketer’s prediction, Lalit Modi claimed that The Hundred would never come close to the Indian Premier League due to various reasons. Modi pointed out that people in Britain are not really excited about cricket as there are some other popular sports like football, rugby, tennis, racing and darts.
“No T20 tournament in this lifetime will be like the IPL, my friends. It’s better not to promote it like that, as you don’t have to. 1. Cricket as a major sport in the UK. It’s football, then rugby, then racing, then tennis, then darts. 2. Nor the die-hard fan base. 3. Nor the population that supports it. 4. Nor the advertisers that support it. 5. Nor the Indian players. They will. Never. Permission will also not be given,” Lalit Modi said.
For the sixth point in support of his claims, Modi said that the board will also have to enter into agreements with other countries to shape the league by copying the Indian Premier League. The IPL is structured through home and away fixtures, making it longer and more exciting than other franchise leagues. If, somehow, the ECB manages to do so, it may face a lack of public interest, which will have a direct impact on business.
Getting 18 counties to agree would be difficult. If they do an IPL format, that is home and away. You don’t have to have a number of days to play it or a crowd to support it. So it is better to look at the reality and make it more like the South African T20 league. That too, if this is the only shorter format in the UK, teams will break even or make marginal gains,” Lalit Modi said.
He added, “Keep in mind that bilateral games remain the bread and butter of the ECB and you should all expect that to be the case as the shorter formats require all of the above ingredients for people to pay even a fraction of the £35 per month for a football package.”
No T20 tournament will be like this in this lifetime @IPL my friend. Better not to promote it like you don’t have
1. Cricket is a major sport in Britain. It’s football, then it’s rugby, then it’s racing, then it’s tennis and then it’s darts 🤣🤣😭
2. Neither die… https://t.co/ACzUoiWvkj– Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) 18 April 2026
Huge increase seen in business value of IPL
According to a Times of India article published in July 2025, the business value of cricket’s annual showpiece event IPL is set to grow 13% in a year to $18.5 billion – about Rs 1.6 lakh crore. Also, its brand value has increased by 14% to nearly $4 billion (roughly Rs. 33,000 crores), showed a report by NYSE-listed investment bank Houlihan Lokey, which has valued several sports franchises around the world.
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