'Allow IPL-type Test matches' - Lalit Modi's revolutionary idea to save five-day format from becoming irrelevant

Lalit Modi has strongly claimed that Test cricket should adopt the franchise model to prevent it from becoming irrelevant in the near future. The former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chair believes that bilateral Test series are on the verge of extinction, and this is the only way to save the purest format of the game.

Modi stated that the only way to save Test cricket is for franchise sides to take over and regenerate interest and viewership across the world. The 62-year-old, however, does not want the five-day format to necessarily make revenue like T20 cricket. All he wants is not to be a loss-making entity and protect the game for years to come. 

"I am saying that Test matches on 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 for 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," Lalit Modi was quoted as saying on NDTV.

Modi is widely regarded as one of the inventors of modern T20 cricket due to the huge role that he played in the formation of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Today, it is the biggest franchise tournament across the world, breaking viewership and commercial records left, right and centre. 

It is worth mentioning that Modi has always been a huge advocate of wanting IPL teams to play Test cricket, even as an exhibition game to attract the masses. The ten teams have huge fan followings, and that can rekindle interest in the longest format of the game. 

"Let the IPL teams own Test cricket teams. You got the youngsters, you got the loyalty factors... At least play one [exhibition] in a season between 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," Modi said on The Overlap Podcast earlier this year. 

Following the conclusion of the 2026 IPL, Test cricket returns to the Indian shores with the Men in Blue set to play a one-off game against Afghanistan starting from Saturday, June 6.