Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has reignited debate around India’s sports infrastructure by arguing that the country’s cricket stadiums, regardless of age or size, fall far short of global standards and should eventually be rebuilt from the ground up.
Speaking on a recent podcast appearance, Modi intensified comments he had previously made about fan experience, stadium design, and the future economics of Indian cricket. His most striking claim was that even the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, currently the world’s largest cricket venue by capacity, should not be exempt from a comprehensive overhaul.
According to Modi, the issue is not simply about aesthetics or seating capacity. He believes Indian cricket generates enormous commercial value through media rights and sponsorships, yet much of that financial success is not reflected in the quality of the match-day experience offered to fans.
“If I was today there, I would demolish it and rebuild it completely. Modern Escalator. Modern Kitchen, modern Restaurant. Make it a 365 destination. You have shopping malls in the basement. You make it into an entertainment complex. If it needs to be air cooled or wind cooled or whatever today you can do it. The technology exists,” Modi said on Humans of Bombay.
“You can put five star quality bathrooms. Instead of having ten toilets, put a few 100 toilets. Make them self-cleaning toilets. Make the state of the art infrastructure in there. Make the going in and out of a stadium in five minutes. The state association is where lies the muck, where lies the gandagi (dirt), where lies the corruption,” he added.
“The match is three hours. Plus you go an hour and a half before four and a half hour, five hours with young kids at night. Hungry, you make it hygienic. You do all of that which is missing. It’s all about how much money I can make,” he said.
Beyond capacity: The fan experience debate
Modi previously argued that modern sports venues are expected to deliver far more than a place to watch a game. In his view, many Indian stadiums lag behind leading international venues in areas such as crowd movement, hospitality, climate management, sanitation, retail integration, and year-round usability.
He claimed that studies commissioned during his tenure highlighted infrastructure shortcomings years ago, but that meaningful modernization has remained limited despite the rapid growth of cricket’s commercial ecosystem.
A radical funding proposal
To finance large-scale redevelopment, Modi suggested that a substantial share of cricket’s central revenues should be redirected toward stadium infrastructure rather than being distributed through existing channels.
His argument is rooted in the belief that Indian cricket already possesses the financial resources required for transformation and that long-term investment in infrastructure would ultimately strengthen the sport’s commercial foundation.
The bigger business question
While the call to demolish and rebuild stadiums has attracted attention for its dramatic language, the underlying debate centers on ownership and monetization.
Many IPL franchises currently operate from venues controlled by state cricket associations. As a result, teams often have limited influence over stadium operations, fan amenities, hospitality programs, and non-matchday revenue opportunities.
Modi’s vision aligns more closely with global sports models in which clubs or franchises maintain greater control over their venues, allowing them to generate revenue through concerts, conventions, premium hospitality offerings, retail experiences, and other year-round activities.
Why the debate matters
The controversy highlights a growing tension within Indian sport: cricket’s financial value has expanded at an extraordinary pace, but infrastructure development has not always kept pace with rising consumer expectations.
Whether or not Modi’s proposal is practical, his comments raise a broader question for administrators and franchise owners alike: can Indian cricket continue commanding premium ticket prices and record media valuations without a corresponding upgrade in the fan experience at the venue?