Lalit Modi opens up on how he convinced ‘good friend’ Shah Rukh Khan to buy IPL team, and roped in broadcasters despite their reluctance

In a rare interview, Indian Premier League, or IPL, creator Lalit Modi talked candidly about bringing Shah Rukh Khan on board. The former cricket administrator, also known as a financial fraud fugitive, was in charge of the IPL's creation and the addition of Vijay Mallya and Shah Rukh as IPL owners. 

On his podcast Beyond23 Cricket, Clarke asked Modi how the IPL could have begun without the players, with the TV rights still up in the air, and without the sponsors making a big impression. A product similar to the English Premier League (EPL) and the National Football League (NFL) in a nation the size of India was his goal, according to the former IPL commissioner, who is currently living in exile in Sardinia.

“For me, the players were key. If I didn’t have the top 100 players on day one then nobody wanted to buy the rights and I’m talking to ESPN, Star Sports, Zee and Nimbus,” said Modi. He then spoke about why each broadcaster said no to him initially. “ESPN came back with a revenue share model. Zee came back with a partnership model. Nimbus said, “Oh, we don’t believe in this product’.”

Modi went on to claim that Sony had offered to bid for the TV rights provided he could hire the top 100 Indian cricket players, who are only available in the league.

He also mentioned how he convinced Shah Rukh to invest in the league. “I said to Shah Rukh, ‘You need to own a cricket team.’ He said, ‘Lalit bhai, I don’t know what cricket is.’ He had a football with him that day, I remember. He and Aryan (Khan, his son) were playing football. He said, ‘I don’t know anything about cricket. If you tell me you’re investing, I trust you. I will invest. But you have to hold my hand show us how to do it,'" Lalit shared.

He advised Shah Rukh that he must attend every game. After giving it some thought, Shah Rukh said, "I have film commitments." SRK started laughing when Lalit informed him that the IPL would surpass his movie in popularity. After that, he assisted Shah Rukh in comprehending the bidding, auction, and team-building process

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