FORMER IPL CHAIRMAN Lalit Modi has warned that traditional bilateral Test cricket is on a path to extinction unless significant commercial changes are made. Speaking to ANI in London, Modi argued that franchise-driven models are no longer just an alternative but a necessary mechanism to sustain Test cricket.
Lalit Modi said, “I am saying that Test matches on a bilateral will die. The next prediction of mine is that now they should allow IPL-type (T20-type) Test matches. The next thing that they should be doing is to have Test matches to come in. One-Day (ODI) should die. The test should survive. Test is a very important part. Unfortunately, (Test cricket) will die if it’s not taken over by club cricket because of no viewership on a global level. So it will be a loss leader. I’m not saying everything has to make money… You don’t have to have profit in everything. You’ve got to do something for the game too.”
Modi acknowledged that Test cricket cannot compete financially with short-form leagues, arguing that franchise corporate backing rather than cricket boards is the path to sustainability.
His warning comes as the traditional calendar faces growing pressure from franchise leagues and ICC events. Earlier this year, a 124-day gap separated the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney from the subsequent Pakistan-Bangladesh series — a drought driven largely by scheduling conflicts with IPL 2026 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Modi reiterated his proposal, previously floated on The Overlap Podcast with Michael Vaughan, to merge IPL fan loyalty with the red-ball game.
“The only way Test cricket will work, somebody’s going to shoot me for saying this. First time I’m saying this. Let the IPL teams own Test cricket teams. You got the youngsters, you got the loyalty factors. You play your country versus country, without doubt, that’s premier. I’m saying you have it as a world championship that goes around the world every year, you play those without doubt, but also so that it doesn’t disappear, you have exhibition matches starting off with it–teams playing test cricket. At least play one in a season against each other just to get their youngsters back into the game. That’s going to be like club cricket. You have club cricket in everything. But the primary has to be country versus country,” Lalit Modi explained.
Modi proposed a World Championship format featuring country-vs-country matches played annually, alongside IPL franchise owners fielding independent Test squads for limited windows to engage younger audiences. He also proposed shifting five-day Tests to four-day, day-night matches to address declining attendance and align with modern viewing habits.
