&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘I salute Kerry Packer, but time’s up for ODIs’: Lalit Modi picks T20s and Tests as the way forward")
Has One-Day Cricket’s time run out? IPL founder Lalit Modi thinks so, suggesting scrapping 50-over cricket for good, with only Tests and T20 cricket taking this game forward. Considering the shift from decades-old ODI cricket to the fast-paced franchise-based T20 leagues worldwide, Modi’s latest remarks have reignited online debate over the format’s future, with the next 50-over ODI World Cup approaching.
Saluting Kerry Packer, known as the father of modern-day cricket, Modi said ODIs are fast dying in this age and time of the T20 format. With the rise of the T20s since its debut in the early 2000s, Modi feels that One-Day Cricket has lost its craze and relevance, and it’s about time before it vanishes into thin air, leaving behind the Twenty20 format and Test cricket.
Speaking to Sportstar, Modi clarified that the ODIs might fail to survive in the longer run, while maintaining that Tests will remain paramount and untouchable, and so would be the cash-rich Indian Premier League, which is his baby product.
“Test cricket should always stay; we should dump the ODIs and keep the T20s. Kerry Packer did a great job in reviving the One-Dayers, and I salute him, but the time is over for ODIs. Test cricket should move to the day-night format. But I see absolutely no threat to the IPL from any other leagues,” Modi said.
Is One-Day Cricket really dying?
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
US blockade of Hormuz Strait a costly mistake? Saudi wants it to end; Chinese ship passes anyway as Beijing fumes
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Pure Water': Why the USS Abraham Lincoln boils seawater just to launch its fighters
)
TCS Nashik sexual harassment case snowballs: Multiple FIRs, undercover probe and mounting corporate crisis
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Trump shares AI-image of himself as Jesus Christ after slamming Pope Leo as 'weak', 'terrible': How the feud began?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
‘Mine clearance’: How the US Navy deals with underwater mine risks
)
Uganda Army Chief demands '$1 billion & "country's most beautiful woman" as wife' from Turkey: What it means
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (April 13-19, 2026): Euphoria S3, Toaster, Matka King- 6 latest movies and TV shows coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Anchor Chains': Why the USS Abraham Lincoln's massive chains don't rust together
)
Indian Army Chief Joins To Pay Tribute to Kargil Hero Col Sonam Wangchuk
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 Indian batters fastest to 1000 runs in T20Is
While it remains the most-watched sport in only a handful of countries, including India, where a home ODI game is usually a sell-out, several cricket boards and countries have failed to keep this format profitable. With T20 cricket hogging all attention, even in countries ranked lower in white-ball cricket, their boards now prepare itineraries which include more T20Is and fewer Tests and ODIs.
Having said that, the two highly successful 50-over tournaments, the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2023 ODI World Cup, were massive successes in terms of both viewership and online engagement.
Meanwhile, with the T20 World Cup in the subcontinent now concluded, all eyes turn to the ODIs as the roadmap begins for the 2027 World Cup in Africa.
