Lalit Modi Slams The Hundred With IPL Comparison And ‘Rulebook’ Bashing

Lalit Modi slams The Hundred [Source: AFP]

The founder of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, didn’t hold back his sentiments on England’s hundred-ball competition, The Hundred. The founding member of one of the biggest and most successful cricket leagues in the world bashed the tournament for its under profitability and ‘nonsense’ rules in front of England veteran Michael Vaughan.

First played in 2021, The Hundred is not a conventional short-format game of cricket. While any format of the sport contains a six-ball over, Hundred’s rules are unique, which allow a bowler to bowl only five deliveries. Lalit Modi was particularly nitpicking on these aspects when he charged the tournament with its peculiar setup.

Lalit Modi bashes The Hundred’s Financial Success

While speaking on the YouTube channel, ‘The Overlap Cricket’, Modi was seen sharply throwing criticism at Michael Vaughan, the host, with the financial clarity and purpose of cricket-related activities in England.

“I don't know what you guys are doing in England… I don't know what the hell you're doing here. Have you made money here? Have you made some money?” Modi asked sharply, drawing subtle comparisons with IPL as the money-making giant.

Then, Modi continued to push harder by bringing up figures and accountability, asking, “Well, the numbers are 395 million for the loans. Okay, who's made that money?”

In response, Vaughan seemed less assertive and was not able to answer Lalit Modi’s questions clearly.

IPL or The Hundred: Which is More Profitable?

For the unaware, in terms of numbers, the IPL scales way past The Hundred in terms of profitability and business.

As of the financial year 2025, Hundred has reported early losses of approximately €9 million over two years, while the IPL has shown strong profitability of almost ₹200 crore per team.

Also Read- Lalit Modi Gets In Direct Confrontation With Rilee Rossouw For Labelling IPL A Movie

While the IPL generates a total annual revenue of approximately $2.4 billion, the total annual revenue of the England and Wales Cricket Board accounts for only €319.6 million.

Modi Blasts ‘Nonsense’ Rules Of The Hundred

Lalit Modi pounced on the opportunity to bash The Hundred with the absurd ruling in the forefront. Modi asserted that the foundation of the format creates confusion, stressing that cricket has always been taught with a standard structure, six balls in an over, and changing that confuses people.

“How many balls are in an over? Five. Or it could be 10 as well. I am a child, I am growing up in school, I’m playing cricket there, and I am taught that there are six balls in a bloody over.

Five balls are gone, it’s a crucial wicket to be taken, pressure on the bowler, pressure on the batsman. The sixth ball is coming, everyone is sitting there like this, waiting for it. But here, five balls are gone.

I don’t know what the hell that is for, first and foremost. It’s not played in school. I’m not being taught that. It’s not about the skill set, it’s about the rules of the game,” Modi said.

Modi Explains Why The Hundred Can Never Be a Global Phenomenon

Modi further criticised the lack of uniformity and questioned how a format played only in England could be adopted globally.

“If you don’t know the rules of the game, you might as well kick a football around at the end of the day. But if you don’t teach people in school how it’s played, and it’s only being played in England, how are you going to tell kids back home in India or in America, ‘Hey guys, there’s a new tournament with new rules’,” Modi concluded.

Nevertheless, Lalit Modi’s approach was to make a key point on the tournament. According to him, the England competition lacks the fundamental structure required to become a global product like the IPL, and his criticism was rooted in both its rules and its reach. Apparently, Hundred doesn’t lack skill or talent but deviates from cricket’s core identity in the first place.

Also Read- Who Replaces Khaleel Ahmed? CSK Strongest XI vs SRH- IPL 2026, Match 27