Lalit Modi

Right. A baseball game can go on forever. Pitches could go on forever, extra innings, etc., etc. Nope, these T20 games, it is a strict, balls-bowled count. Yep, it's tight. And that means games take two and a half to three hours. That means games can be played in primetime, in the evening, for the very first time in the sport.

Right. A baseball game can go on forever. Pitches could go on forever, extra innings, etc., etc. Nope, these T20 games, it is a strict, balls-bowled count. Yep, it's tight. And that means games take two and a half to three hours. That means games can be played in primetime, in the evening, for the very first time in the sport.

Yeah. So all of a sudden you start seeing these green shoots in England, 2003, 2004, 2005. Domestically, they start playing T20. They start televising the matches. Younger people start paying attention again. There's a revitalization. So obviously the international game sees this. Lalit sees this. He's thinking about starting up a domestic league in India. Yeah. This is the perfect opportunity.

Yeah. So all of a sudden you start seeing these green shoots in England, 2003, 2004, 2005. Domestically, they start playing T20. They start televising the matches. Younger people start paying attention again. There's a revitalization. So obviously the international game sees this. Lalit sees this. He's thinking about starting up a domestic league in India. Yeah. This is the perfect opportunity.

What an amazing gift of a new format of the game. Perfect for primetime. An incredible opportunity.

What an amazing gift of a new format of the game. Perfect for primetime. An incredible opportunity.

This is all but the Savannah Bananas version of baseball.

This is all but the Savannah Bananas version of baseball.

Which we'll talk about the Savannah Bananas later. For folks who don't know or who are not in the U.S., Savannah Banana is like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. It's a purely entertainment spectacle. It's a spectacle for sure.

Which we'll talk about the Savannah Bananas later. For folks who don't know or who are not in the U.S., Savannah Banana is like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. It's a purely entertainment spectacle. It's a spectacle for sure.

Totally. So the Australian domestic T20 league that gets started right around this same time, to give you a sense of this, is called the Big Bash League. That's the image that they're projecting. And the Big Bash League is like they are legitimately a real sports league today and probably the second biggest, second best T20 cricket league in the world behind the IPL.

Totally. So the Australian domestic T20 league that gets started right around this same time, to give you a sense of this, is called the Big Bash League. That's the image that they're projecting. And the Big Bash League is like they are legitimately a real sports league today and probably the second biggest, second best T20 cricket league in the world behind the IPL.

But this is not targeted at the test cricket loving audience. Right.

But this is not targeted at the test cricket loving audience. Right.

Yes. When there's no limit on the number of balls, you're trying to play for a draw if you're behind. You're trying to make things go longer. Now, all of a sudden, it completely changes the strategy of the game. You only have 120 balls and you need to maximize your score. So rather than trying to run out balls or whatnot, like sixes become way more important. Yep.

Yes. When there's no limit on the number of balls, you're trying to play for a draw if you're behind. You're trying to make things go longer. Now, all of a sudden, it completely changes the strategy of the game. You only have 120 balls and you need to maximize your score. So rather than trying to run out balls or whatnot, like sixes become way more important. Yep.

So, Lollett knows this is the perfect opportunity. He goes back to IMG, who, remember, he had initially partnered with with Disney and ESPN way back in the day to start broadcasting cricket in India in the first place, and says... hey, I need to hire you as consultants from the BCCI. We're going to set up a whole new league.

So, Lollett knows this is the perfect opportunity. He goes back to IMG, who, remember, he had initially partnered with with Disney and ESPN way back in the day to start broadcasting cricket in India in the first place, and says... hey, I need to hire you as consultants from the BCCI. We're going to set up a whole new league.

And Andrew Wildblood, who runs IMG's India operations, becomes essentially Lalit's partner in setting up, how are we going to structure this? What are we going to create as the business plan of this new league? We've got some time. We've just done these major rights deals and sponsorship deals for BCCI. Let's be really thoughtful about this. We'll plan to start it in 2009. So here we are.

And Andrew Wildblood, who runs IMG's India operations, becomes essentially Lalit's partner in setting up, how are we going to structure this? What are we going to create as the business plan of this new league? We've got some time. We've just done these major rights deals and sponsorship deals for BCCI. Let's be really thoughtful about this. We'll plan to start it in 2009. So here we are.