Sport | Cricket
UAE on radar
Lalit Modi, cricket's billion dollar man, is confident that the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League can be staged in the region.
- By K.R. Nayar, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:40 July 4, 2008
- Lalit Modi
- Image Credit: AP
Dubai: Lalit Modi, the man who transformed limited-overs cricket into an exciting concept with the Indian Premier League, has named the UAE as a possible venue for the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League which is scheduled to take place later this year.
Gulf News caught up with cricket's billion dollar brain on the sidelines of the International Cricket Council's Executive Board meeting and uncovered some interesting facts.
GULF NEWS: Mr. Modi, what has been the impact of the IPL?
LALIT MODI: It was very good for global cricket. It was well received all over the world especially in the Middle East. It gathered momentum quickly and earned a lot of fan following. I am glad that it generated a lot of enthusiasm and people are looking forward to next year's league.
When is the next league?
The next IPL will start on April 10 with the inaugural game in Jaipur. We have not yet decided the final venue, but the final will be held on May 25.
You are in the process of staging the Champions league? Is there any chance of it being held in UAE?
We are looking at Dubai Sports City, but they are not yet ready.
We will stage it in the Middle East once the infrastructure is ready.
We know there is the Sharjah stadium and Abu Dhabi I understand they are upgrading their facilities. We are impressed with the facilities in Abu Dhabi. We are hoping to hold it here.
IPL is your brainchild and how did it feel when it turned out to be a mega success?
It was indeed taxing but at the same time very rewarding in terms of passion. I am happy that I could succeed with such a concept.
It changed the dynamics of cricket around the world. It managed to embrace more fans and attract countries that do not traditionally watch cricket.
How did it help the young Indian cricketers?
It is indeed amazing that the people who performed in the IPL are the youngsters. We have so many new stars now. They would have had to wait for years and years to get recognition at the international scene. IPL gave them the chance to play with international stars it automatically put them on the world map and made them stars.
But hasn't IPL led to an excess of cricket for the top players?
This is club level cricket and not an international event. This is an event which is fun, entertaining and short.
There has been criticisms that too much of money may harm the cricketers?
Why should not cricketers earn more money? I am all for cricketers earning good money and I am finding the right package for them. They are professionals and they should earn as much as a soccer, tennis or a golfer.
Does that mean one day you can help cricketers earn as much as a soccer or a golfer?
We have already done it. Some of the top players in the IPL, on a per day basis earn more than Ronaldo. They play nine months for the money but a cricketer is earning from just 14 days. So on a per day basis they are earning more money than a soccer star.
From the franchise point of view are they happy?
They are very happy with it and are keenly looking forward to year two. We are reviewing the entire process and might introduce novel concepts.
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