The "SCAM" that was required to Create IPL | How it began - Publicity, Politics & Paisa

Summary

The script narrates the audacious journey of Lalit Modi in creating the Indian Premier League (IPL) from scratch, facing monumental challenges with no plan, support, or funding. It details his innovative strategies to generate public interest and secure massive broadcasting deals, despite skepticism and opposition. The IPL's inception is portrayed as a bold statement of India's economic aspirations, with Modi's risky maneuvers and marketing genius ultimately transforming cricket and capturing the world's attention, albeit at a personal cost.

Takeaways

• 🏆 The IPL was created by Lalit Modi in 2007 under challenging circumstances with no plan, support, or funds, aiming to rival the media giant of the time in India.
• 📅 The idea of a city-based, privately owned cricket league in India dates back to 1995, but it was repeatedly rejected by the BCCI due to monopoly concerns.
• 🔥 Subhash Chandra's announcement of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) as a T20 tournament in 2007 forced the BCCI to respond, leading to the greenlighting of the IPL.
• 💡 Lalit Modi's strategy involved leveraging India's economic boom and national pride to generate public interest and attract investors and broadcasters to the IPL.
• 🎉 The IPL's unveiling ceremony featured prominent cricketers and officials to portray national and international support, despite ethical questions about their presence during a concurrent T20 World Cup.
• 📉 Initially, the IPL faced skepticism from fans, broadcasters, sponsors, and players due to the lack of viewership history for domestic T20 cricket in India.
• 📈 Lalit Modi's marketing campaign, led by Sundar Raman, focused on creating a buzz around the financial potential and celebrity involvement in the IPL to drive public interest.
• 💰 The IPL's broadcasting rights were sold to Sony for a record-breaking $1 billion, a gamble by both parties that paid off, securing the tournament's financial future.
• 🤝 Lalit Modi personally curated a list of potential team owners who were willing to take risks and had personal trust in him, leading to a successful franchise auction.
• 🚀 The IPL's success in attracting viewers and generating revenue validated Lalit Modi's vision and turned the tournament into a symbol of modern India's aspirations.
• 🚨 The methods used by Lalit Modi to establish the IPL were controversial and would later lead to legal issues, casting a shadow over his achievements.

Q & A

What was the task given to Lalit Modi on September 7th, 2007?

Lalit Modi was tasked with creating a cricket tournament from scratch in just 6 months, with no plan, support, precedence, and no money, and it had to compete against the biggest media giant in India at the time.

Why was the idea of a city-based, privately owned league initially rejected by the BCCI?

The BCCI was afraid of losing its monopoly and started playing a game of whack-a-mole, shutting down all such ideas before they began.

What prompted Subhash Chandra to declare war on the BCCI with the announcement of the Indian Cricket League (ICL)?

Subhash Chandra was angry at being refused the broadcasting rights for Indian cricket once again and decided to challenge the BCCI's hegemony with a privately owned T20 tournament.

How did Lalit Modi's IPL plan initially face skepticism and lack of support?

The IPL faced skepticism because it was a domestic T20 tournament, which had no historical viewership in India, and there were doubts about the interest of fans, broadcasters, sponsors, and players.

What event during the unveiling ceremony helped to change the perception of T20 cricket in India?

The India vs. Pakistan match in the World Cup group stage, which ended in a tie and a bowl-out victory for India, caused Indians to stand up and notice the new T20 format for the first time.

What was Lalit Modi's strategy to generate public interest in the IPL?

Lalit Modi aimed to capitalize on the 'Great Global Indian Takeover' sentiment, selling the idea of Indian glory to generate public interest and using that interest to attract broadcasters and investors.

How did Lalit Modi approach the challenge of selling the IPL to potential investors?

Lalit Modi focused on broadcasters first, believing that if he could generate enough public interest to secure a high broadcasting deal, it would then attract investors and owners to the IPL.

What was the significance of the billion-dollar broadcasting deal with Sony?

The billion-dollar deal with Sony provided the publicity, proof, and momentum required to attract investors and validate the IPL as a lucrative venture.

How did Lalit Modi tailor his approach to attract specific billionaires as team owners for the IPL?

Lalit Modi created personalized proposals for potential investors, highlighting how the IPL could facilitate their business goals and increase their presence or market their products.

What was the minimum amount each team had to spend during the player auction, and why was this rule implemented?

Each team had to spend a minimum of 3.5 million dollars during the player auction to avoid being fined by the IPL. This rule was implemented to create a bidding war for players and inflate their prices, which in turn was used to sell the idea of a prosperous India.

What was the outcome of the IPL's first season in terms of viewership and financial success?

The first season of the IPL drew the second biggest crowds of any tournament worldwide with an average attendance of 58,000 and was watched by 100 million people from home. It also achieved a steady 5% TRP for 44 days straight, generating 650 million dollars for Sony in that season.

Outlines

00:00

🏆 The Birth of a Revolutionary Tournament

In September 2007, Lalit Modi was tasked with creating a cricket tournament from scratch in just six months, facing challenges such as no plan, support, precedence, or funds. The Indian Premier League (IPL) was envisioned as a city-based, privately owned league, but faced opposition from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to concerns over losing its monopoly. The emergence of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) by Subhash Chandra, owner of a major TV channel, forced BCCI to act. Modi's IPL was greenlit as a counter to ICL, with Modi leveraging the cricketing interest ignited by India's performance in the T20 World Cup to create a buzz around the new T20 tournament, despite initial skepticism and lack of viewer interest in domestic T20 cricket.

05:00

🌐 The Global Marketing Blitz for IPL

Lalit Modi embarked on a world tour to promote the IPL, but faced rejection from various boards and a lack of investor interest due to the unproven concept of cricket franchises. Realizing the traditional tournament model wouldn't work, Modi focused on generating public interest to attract broadcasters. His strategy hinged on a 'Great Global Indian Takeover' narrative, capitalizing on India's economic boom and national pride. By associating with the IPL, businesses could align themselves with India's aspirations. Modi's aggressive marketing campaign, led by Sundar Raman, aimed to create a buzz around the tournament, focusing on its potential financial success and importance to India's global image.

10:01

💰 The High-Stakes Broadcasting Deal

Facing the reality that no broadcaster could afford their high asking price, Modi and his team discovered that Sony, despite financial constraints, saw the IPL as an opportunity to corner the broadcasting market with a new reality TV format. Sony's bid of 1 billion dollars for the IPL rights made headlines worldwide, providing Modi the momentum to approach potential team owners with a tailored proposal for each, emphasizing the unique benefits of association with the IPL. However, the response was mixed, with some quick to invest while others hesitated due to the BCCI's anti-business reputation and the project's inherent risks.

15:03

🎉 The Spectacle and Success of IPL's Inception

Despite the challenges, Modi managed to sell the IPL teams for a staggering 723.5 million dollars, surpassing expectations and turning public opinion in favor of the tournament. The first IPL season was a spectacle, with an extravagant opening ceremony and high viewership, drawing large crowds and setting TRP records. Modi's vision of 'Cricketainment' was realized, and the IPL became a global representation of modern India. However, the video ends with a foreshadowing of the controversy and legal issues that would later engulf Modi, hinting at a complex aftermath to the IPL's successful launch.

Keywords

💡Tournament

A tournament refers to a competition involving multiple participants, usually in a series of matches or games, with the winner advancing to the next round until a champion is determined. In the context of the video, the term 'tournament' is used to describe the creation of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a cricket competition that was started from scratch and became a significant event in the world of cricket.

💡Lalit Modi

Lalit Modi is the central figure in the script, the architect of the Indian Premier League. He is portrayed as the individual who took on the challenge of creating the IPL in a very short time with no initial plan, support, or funding. His name is synonymous with the IPL's inception and the subsequent controversies and successes associated with it.

💡IPL (Indian Premier League)

The IPL is a professional T20 cricket league in India, which is highlighted in the script as a groundbreaking event that changed the landscape of cricket. It is a city-based, privately owned league that has become a major sporting event with global viewership and significant commercial success.

💡BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)

The BCCI is the governing body for cricket in India, responsible for regulating the sport within the country. In the video, the BCCI is depicted as initially resistant to the idea of a city-based, privately owned cricket league, fearing a loss of monopoly, but eventually greenlighting the IPL as a response to external pressures and challenges.

💡Broadcasting Rights

Broadcasting rights refer to the legal permission granted to a network or broadcaster to air a sports event. In the script, the struggle for broadcasting rights is a key plot point, with Subhash Chandra's Zee TV challenging the BCCI's control over cricket broadcasting and pushing for the creation of a rival league, which ultimately leads to the IPL's establishment.

💡Cricketainment

A portmanteau of 'cricket' and 'entertainment,' 'cricketainment' is used in the script to describe the fusion of cricket with elements of entertainment, such as Bollywood stars and extravagant ceremonies, to attract a wider audience and commercial success. This concept is central to the IPL's marketing strategy and its appeal to viewers beyond traditional cricket fans.

💡Franchises

In the context of the IPL, franchises refer to the city-based teams owned by private entities. The script discusses the process of selling these franchises to interested investors, which was a critical step in establishing the financial foundation of the league and attracting public interest.

💡Billionaire Investors

The script highlights the involvement of billionaire investors in the IPL, such as Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya, who bought franchises and contributed to the league's credibility and financial success. Their participation is portrayed as a reflection of India's economic boom and a source of national pride.

💡Viewership

Viewership denotes the number of people watching a particular program or event, which is a key metric for the success of any broadcasting venture. The script emphasizes the importance of high viewership in the IPL's first season, which validated the league's popularity and commercial viability.

💡Ethics and Law

The script alludes to the ethical and legal challenges faced by Lalit Modi and the IPL, suggesting that the creation and operation of the league may have blurred the boundaries of what is considered ethical and legal business practice. The video hints at a darker side to the IPL's success, with potential consequences for those involved.

💡Marketing Campaign

A marketing campaign is a series of promotional efforts designed to raise awareness and interest in a product or service. In the script, the IPL's marketing campaign is crucial in generating public interest, securing broadcasting deals, and attracting investors and players. The campaign is described as unprecedented in India, involving high-profile endorsements and a focus on the league's potential for economic and cultural impact.

Highlights

Lalit Modi was tasked with creating a cricket tournament in 6 months with no plan, support, or funds.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) was envisioned as a city-based, privately owned league, facing opposition from the BCCI to maintain its monopoly.

Subhash Chandra's announcement of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) prompted BCCI to act against the challenge to its authority.

BCCI president Sharad Pawar greenlit Lalit Modi's IPL plan to counter Zee's ICL and retain player loyalty.

Lalit Modi's unveiling ceremony promised high salaries and a large prize pot to attract players, despite no financial backing.

The presence of cricket legends and international board heads at the unveiling ceremony was questioned due to the concurrent T20 World Cup.

India's traditional cricketing views initially saw T20 as an insult, with low viewership and interest.

Lalit Modi faced skepticism and doubt from within BCCI about the viability of the IPL.

A one-day cricket match between India and Pakistan during the unveiling ceremony sparked interest in T20 format.

Lalit Modi's world tour to sell the IPL idea was met with rejection, highlighting the difficulty of selling an intangible product.

Lalit Modi's strategy shifted to focus on broadcasters to generate public interest and attract investors.

Sony's bid of 1 billion dollars for IPL broadcasting rights was a gamble based on new viewership data and market potential.

Lalit Modi created a tailored proposal for potential IPL team owners, aligning the tournament with their business interests.

Despite a billion-dollar broadcasting deal, many potential investors were hesitant due to the BCCI's anti-business history.

Lalit Modi's personal involvement in the bidding process and the use of aggressive marketing tactics led to the formation of IPL teams.

The IPL's success in terms of viewership and revenue validated Lalit Modi's high-risk strategies and vision.

Lalit Modi's ethically questionable actions in building the IPL would later become a source of controversy and downfall.

Transcripts

To make a tournament from scratch

in just 6 months

with No plan

No support

No precedence

& no money

Which then had to take down

The biggest media giant in India at the time

That

would be the task

Handed to Lalit Modi

on 7th of September 2007

Starting a journey

That would blur the boundaries

of ethics and law

That would push marketing in India

to dizzing new heights

& That would come to hold the world of cricket

by its very throat

today

we learn the story of the tournament

that changed cricket

Forever

Today we learn

the jugaad of IPL

Now The idea of an IPL

is neither unique nor new

going as far back as 1995

Many such ideas

would be constantly put in front of BCCI

in fact

among the first ones to do so

would be Lalit Modi himself

Now yes

it was a ODI tournament

but at it's core

it was a city based

privately owned league

But

BCCI

Afraid of losing its monopoly

Would start playing a game of whack a mole

shutting down all such ideas

even before they began

And so it would go on

All the way upto 2007

when Subhash Chandra

the owner

of India’s biggest tv channel at the time

angry

at once again being refused

the broadcasting rights for Indian cricket

He

would decided to declare

war

Indian Cricket League

A privately owned

T20 tournament was announced

In a blatant challenge to bcci hegemony

And though a flustered BCCI would try to fight back

threatening to ban the defecting players

& increasing domestic salaries

The bcci president

sharad pawar

knew

it was just a matter of time

before they lost

Their bans wouldn’t hold up in court

Their increased salaries nowhere near that of Zee's

And most importantly

The prime time tv attention

that Zee was offering

Was something that the bcci just couldn’t counter

So

Players had begun to leave them left,right and center

with rumblings

that if nothing was changed

players would leave en mass

So pawar

Now pushed into a corner

decided to enact a radical plan

submitted by his best lieutenant

The leutinenat

who had been instrumental in getting him elected

Who had increased the revenue by 7 folds

in the last 3 years

& whose 10 years old plan

Was now to be recycled

into a T20 tournament

Lalit Modi

and His Indian Premier League

were greenlit by Pawar

with the hopes

that he could defeat the upstarts in their own game

& the first order of business

Without a plan in place

without any funding in hand

Hold an unveiling ceremony

If players needed hope

Lalit would do one better

he would give them greed

Not only would he promise

guaranteed hefty salaries in the IPL

Not only would he the prize pot

to 3 times that of ICL

But with Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid in attendance

Along with the heads of ICC, Australian and South African board

He would potrait his tournament as the one

having national and international support

But in doing so

He would invariably bring the spotlight

on the elephant in the room

the elephant

in the form of a question

why exactly was the holy trinity here?

when there was a T20 world cup

happening at that exact moment

in South Africa

now on paper

it was self-repentance

for the world cup debacle

but everyone knew

the real reason was

that the players

just like their fans

were not interested

in T20

At the time

India

was a nation of cricketing  traditionalist above all

& In most Indians eyes

T20 was seen as an insult

to cricket itself

In fact,

Interest in it had been so low

That ever since its inception

India had bothered to play one

Just One T20 match

And now

out of nowhere

BCCI was making a

44 days long

59 matches wide

T20 abomination

Why?

And for whom?

Coz even with international players being there

This was essentially a domestic tournament

something that historically

had never had

any viewership in India

In fact

There were times

when even the finals of Dilip and Ranji trophies

Were being played in front of empty crowds

and now you want to bring international players

to show them this sad state of affairs

why?

Especially

when they are already complaining of

burn out and fatigue

that means bringing them here

would require a lot of motivation

Motivation

that Lalit didn’t have a single penny off

So in short

BCCI had started a tournament

that no fan wanted to watch

Hence No broadcaster wanted to broadcast

Hence no sponsor wanted to sponsor

And hence No player wanted to play

So it wasn’t much of a surprise

That even the people inside BCCI

Were highly doubtful of this idea

Most just saying -

that Lalit has done so much for us,

let him do this

& fall on his face.

And who knows

Things might have gone

that exact same way

If not

for what was happening

On that very day of the unveiling ceremony

8000 km away

where India

would met Pakistan

in  the world cup group stage

Playing out an epic match

That ended in a tie

A bowl out

And an India victory

causing Indians

for the very first time

to stand up and notice

this new format

and that notice

would get a significant boost

When Yuvi did that

Something that Lalit would happen to watch live

standing from the sidelines of the stadium

& He knew at that moment

His biggest problem

had been taken care of

By fate itself

Coz after this

Even if T20 didn't have an ardent following

At least it won’t be taken as a joke anymore

and so

with new found hope in his eyes

And a spring in his steps

Lalit would start his world tour

tour to sell his new idea

to all the boards around the world

But by the time he would returned

All those hopes would be dashed

As not only had most boards

just shrugged off his idea

But his team sadly informed him

No investor

was interested in the IPL

In spite of shortlisting

1200 different companies around the world

in spite contacting them personally

The response they got

Could be easily surmised into one simple question

What exactly am I buying right now?

at that time

Franchises in cricket

was a very alien concept

& most

just couldn’t understand

That there wasn’t anything physical to buy

Moreover after buying the imaginary team

They would have to spend even more money

To buy the players & infrastructure

& all of this

while having zero proof

That this idea could actually work

So obviously

No investors was interested

Making one thing absolutely clear to Lalit

the traditional method of running a tournament

was never gone work here

the product as it stood now

was simply unsellable

and so

Lalit would decide to do something drastic

for the time being

rather than wasting any more time on the investors

he would decide to focus

on the broadcasters

coz as he saw it

investors need financials,

precedents,

valuations

and who knows what more

while making a decision

while Broadcasters

they needed one thing and only one thing

while making a decision

Public interest

If there was enough public interest

Then they wouldn't even mind

Showing how paint dries

24*7 on their channel

So if he could somehow

generate enough public interest around his idea

then maybe

just maybe

he could get one of the broadcasters

to invest in him heavily

and then by sharing 80% of that

massive broadcasting revenue

Surely

Businesses would be interested in IPL then

wouldn't they ?

now exactly how massive

would that revenue have to be to pull this off

Well, according to Lalit

nothing short of

1 billion dollars

Let me put this in perspective

1 billion dollars for 10 years

that’s 1.7 million dollars per match

was nearly the exact same amount

That the English premiere league

The biggest football league in the world

With over 150 years of history was getting

That very year

And that’s not even taking into account

that EPL lasts for 8 months

while IPL for 44 days

So the question naturally becomes

What public interest topic

was gonna be worth

one billion dollars?

Lalit's answer

‘the Great Global Indian Takeover’

India had become

the second fastest growing economy in the world,

Increasingly touted

to be the next economic superpower

This boom

Had seen us go from having just

2 billionaires in 1994

To having more than 40 in 2007

billionaires

that were now going out into the world

buying

any business they wanted

From Mallya buying a Scottish Distillery,

To Tatas buying a British car company

This reverse colonization of sorts

Was a source of tremendous national pride for Indians

Many looking at it

As their own personal victory

& Lalit

Decided to zero in on that exact sentiment

This wasn’t just any other tournament

But a home-grown multimillion-dollar tournament

that would act as a beacon

of India’s hopes and aspirations

And by associating with it

You were telling millions of Indians

I Stand with you

So basically

Lalit's plan

was to turn the very argument against the IPL

On its head

Selling the idea of Indian glory

to generate public interest

Using the public interest to

get broadcasters to invest

Using broadcasters

to get owners to invest

using owners to get

players to invest

And then using players

To get the public invested all over again

to pull this off

he would require a marketing campaign

the likes of which

India had never seen before

hence

rather than hiring a tournament manager

or a management expert

He would hire Sundar Raman

the head of India's biggest marketing company

to become the Chief Operating Officer of the IPL

under whose guidance

it would start

henceforth

whenever IPL would be mentioned in the media

somehow or the other

the topic would deviate towards money

how much money they were gone make

or which billionaire was to be involved

or how important this was for India

from Russell Crowe

to SRK

from Ambanis

to Tatas

Such

was the onslaught of press briefings and rumors

That at one point

each and every one of our billionaires

seemed to have been interested

day after day

month after month

Lalit,

his secretary Radhika,

Raman

and tournament director Dheeraj

would make a castles out of air

adding floor after floor

turning dust into gold

but as this would go on

through marketing research

they would be made aware

of one simple fact

that nobody in the broadcasting market

could actually afford their prices

Zee and its partner Ten Sports had been banned

Nimbus had used up its entire budget

Star-ESPN would only agree to a conditional bid

& Sony

the broadcaster of the 2007 world cup

had taken such a loss

due to India’s shock exit

That there were rumors

they were going to have to sell

1/3rd of their stakes just to stay afloat

So all in all

There was a real chance

that IPL

Would not even get even one

broadcasting bidders

But Lalit

In spite of all of this

Would refuse to back down

His entire plan- hinged

On getting a high price here

Yes

Maybe he could still make an IPL

with a lower price

But it would never be at the scale

That Lalit wanted it to be

that he needed it to be

To defeat Zee

So

Rather than compromising

Lalit would decide to double down

announcing that no  conditional bids would be accepted

In effect

taking ESPN-Star

out of contention

ESPN-Star

That would happen to be one

Of the only 2

that would actually submit a bid

Yes,

In spite of dozens of companies buying their tender document

only 2

would actually submit a bid

which along with Star's disqualification

would make it a one horse race

Sony’s race

Whatever they bid

Would go

No matter how small

It would be so

but thankfully

Fate & numbers

Were to be on Lalit's side

Over the past few years

The viewership data in India

had taken an interesting turn

riding on the backs of the economic boom

TVs

that were originally concentrated in cities

Were now slowly spreading into villages

this meant

that there was a completely new market

opening up for broadcasters

a golden chance

to corner the industry

So, even though Sony was in a cash crunch

They saw this as the perfect opportunity

to catch up to the leaders

But rather than following the heavily abused soap model

They would decide to buy

the rights of foreign reality tv shows

The first of which would be the Indian idol

That would shatter all TRP records

So now

when Sony saw the IPL

It didn’t see as a cricketing program

But rather

another one of its reality shows

Where each episode would 4 hours long

and there would be no dearth of drama, entertainment or thrills.

A reality show

that they knew how to produce, entertain & succeed with

So, in spite of knowing

That they were over bidding

In spite of knowing

That this could lead to a huge loss

Sony

just like Lalit

Would decide to double down

putting forward a bid of

1 billion dollars

Lalit's gamble

had paid off

The billion dollar deal

was the front page news around the world

& Lalit

now had the publicity, proof & momentum required

to embark

on the second step of his plan

The step

A hitlist

Of billionaires

The last few months,

had made one thing very clear to the team

this tournament

wasn’t for everyone

There was a very specific kind of businessman

That would interested in this venture

someone who was either willing to take risk

or at least allowed to

like People who ran family owned business

or ones that did not have a board to answer to

but most then even that

it had to be someone who trusted Lalit

who believed in his business smarts

& was willing to wager millions

On that trust

So

throwing away that list of 1200 businesses

Lalit would create his own personal shortlist

Of people whom he thought

fit the bill

& based on what those businessman actually wanted

He would create a tailormade proposal

for Ness Wadia & Preity Zinta

it was a chance to increase their presence

Well for Mallya – a chance to market his products

For Ambani a chance to one up his brother

While for Shahrukh

it would be Cricketainment

A marriage of cricket and Bollywood

Where they both would increase each other’s worth

Creating a sure shot windfall

And just like this

Lalit would go from city to city

Country to country

Pitching his perfect plan

And building his perfect bait

And yet

after everything was said and done

The answers he would get

would be disappointing

Though, some like Ambanis and Mallya's would quickly agree

Most

would refuse to move

Yes, the broadcasting deal was tempting

but it didn’t change

the litany of other issues this tournament had

unless not forget

in the end

This was a BCCI project

Who’s long anti-business stand,

had only changed due to outside pressure

So who's to say

what they would do

Once that pressure disappears

So

As the day of franchise approached

Lalit found himself

Standing on the edge of a precipice

He had leveraged all of his personal business interest

To get a BCCI project off the ground

If it failed

The owners would just lose a few millions

The BCCI some of its monopoly

But Lalit

Lalit risked losing everything.

His job

His business

His reputation

So, Now pushed into a corner

Lalit would come to a decision

Ethics,

consequences

And even the law be damned

He would do what was required

Nothing

would stand in the way of his dreams today

Even if it could cost him everything

Tomorrow

& so

In spite of knowing of the dangers

Lalit would get his family involved in the bidding

his brother in law

Becoming the future owner of Rajasthan

His childhood friend

the co owner of KKR

& His son in law

The co-owner of Kings 11

In fact

so desperate would Lalit be to make up the numbers

That he would even resort to Inviting tender

With just a 48 hours deadline

just so that

businesses could pressured into bidding quickly

Without having time to think about it

and though in the end

it would cause the bids of ICICI

DLF and

Sahara to be disqualified for being late

everything that he had done

had been justified

at least in his own eyes

Coz out of the ninety firms

that would buy the 10000$ offer document

Only 10

Would submit a bid

3 of which

Would be from his own family

now thankfully

Whereas the numbers would be disappointing

The amount that they bid

was anything but

Due to those personalized proposals

The business that did bid

Did so with specific cities in mind

Cities that could facilitate their business goals

And with someone spreading a thousand rumors

about who was gone bid how much

those businesses

would decide to bid aggressively

to avoid getting sniped

Hence

in spite of having a 50 million dollar base price

The 8 IPL teams

would be sold for a mind boggling

723.5 million dollars

And that

would be the catalyst

India

already enamored by these billionaires

Would quickly reach to consensus

if people like Ambani and Mallya are putting in their millions,

then surely

there wouldn't be anything wrong with this IPL idea

so all of a sudden

Lalit

would go from a pushy upstart

to a genius mastermind

Sony would go from not having any sponsors

To not having enough time for ads

And players

Players Who had shown no interest

in even T20 by then

would now be lining up to jump on the bandwagon

Making the auction to be held in a few days

The perfect setting

for Lalit's next magic trick

he would declare

all teams taking part in the auction

have to spend a minimum

of 3.5 million dollars

Failing to do which

They would be

heavily fined by the IPL

Now what this did was

that players

who would have otherwise gone on the base price

Now

had a bidding war going on for them

Just so

that teams could use up their allotted budgets

And then those inflated price

would once again be used by Lalit

to sell the idea of a prosperous India

So all in all

Through ways

both legal and not so legal

through methods both Grey and not so grey

By the time the IPL would actually start

most of India

would be desperate

to watch the spectacle

and spectacle it would be

as Lalit

true to the idea of Cricketainment

would turn the first match

into a massive opening ceremony

full off Dancers, Bollywood stars, & exotic shows.

Even at the cost of the match beginning late

And as Lalit would take the podium

A complete nervous wreck

He maybe couldn’t stop himself

From looking up at the stars

Everything that he could do

Had been done

From this point onwards

His career

His tournament

His very fate

Were now out of his hands

So all he could do

Was make a silent nervous prayer

to the cricketing gods above

who for once

were listening

With an average attendances of 58,000

IPL would draw

the second biggest crowds of any tournament

anywhere around the world

on top of that

A total of 100 million people

would watch it from their home

The cumulative numbers

being even higher

than the T20 world cup final

TRP would hold steady

at an average 5% for 44 days straight

Creating a record

that would bring Sony 650 million dollars

In that one season

By the time

the finals would be played

& Lalit would once again take the podium

It would be for the first time

in a very long time

that he wouldn’t be lying

or boasting

or even overexaggerating

When he said

"IPL

is a global representation of India,

it is what the modern day India stands for

this is a statement

from India

to the world

Thank You for watching this video

I hope you enjoyed it

and if you have stuck around till now

here is the funny thing

the legality of the risky moves Lalit had pulled

was highly, highly debatable

Hence they ultimately

became a bomb

A bomb that would go off

within the next three years

destroying Lalit

Along with everything that he had ever achieved

How?

that came to be

is an interesting story in itself

if any of you are interested in listening to that story

do let me know in the comments

I would love to make a video on it

till then

Thank You for watching

I hope you have a good day.