LalitModi claims he broke broadcasting rules during IPL’s first match in 2008

Former IPL chairman LalitModi claimed that back in 2008, during the first match of the IPL, he broke broadcasting rules.

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman LalitModi recently claimed that he broke broadcasting rules during the IPL’s first match, back in 2008. The match saw Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first-ever IPL encounter.

LalitModi claims he broke the rules of broadcasting during the first IPL match in 2008.

LalitModi recalled how, during the first season of the IPL and its first match between KKR and RCB, he was willing to ‘break every rule in the book’ given the magnitude of the occasion. He said he was worried about the reach that Sony Network had at that moment and decided to override their exclusive broadcasting rights. Instead, he instructed other broadcasters as well as news channels to go live with the match at the same time.

What did LalitModi share on the same?

On Michael Clarke’s podcast, LalitModi said, “Everything, everything was dependent on that one game. I broke every rule in the book that day. I signed the contract, an exclusive contract with Sony, but Sony didn’t have the reach. I said open the signal. Now it was available everywhere, right? And I told all the broadcasters who lost out, all of you, all news channels, go live.

He added, “Sony said, ‘I’ll sue you’. I said ‘Sue me later, forget about it? Ok, we are going live now because you don’t have the reach’. I needed everybody to watch the first game. If the first game had flopped, I was dead.”