A lot of people say that those who become successful are the ones who break the rules! And Lalit Modi did exactly so. Lalit Modi was the pioneer of India's lucrative Indian Premier League, and he revealed that he had to walk an extra mile to get the popularity. His career was on the line, and his gut believed that Sony, the OG Sony Network that first aired the IPL 2008 live, did not have enough viewership that the league might sustain in the long run. Modi wanted hefty views, at least in the first match, which was between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Bengaluru. So he gambled the signed contract. BCCI went into a 10-year broadcasting deal worth US $1.026 billion, which included $918 million for the broadcasting rights and an additional $108 million earmarked for promotional activities. Modi literally asked Sony to open the signal so that all potential broadcasters can air the match live. In the podcast with Australia's former captain Michael Clarke, Modi 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. 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." Read also: BCCI President Race: Rajeev Shukla or a Cricketer to Succeed Binny BCCI-Sony Controversy In March 2009, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) terminated Sony’s broadcasting agreement for the Indian Premier League, alleging repeated violations. The board highlighted lapses such as excessive mid-over advertisements, missed balls, and poor camera coverage during the first season. Disputes over a \$10 million ratings bonus and clashes involving DTH sponsorships further damaged relations. On March 14, the deal was scrapped, and a new contract was signed with World Sports Group (WSG) the very next day. Sony, through Multi Screen Media (MSM), legally contested the move, but events took another turn when then-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi renegotiated the arrangement. Under the revised deal, Sony/MSM regained broadcast rights until 2017 for about \$1.63 billion (₹8,200 crore), while WSG pocketed ₹425 crore as a “facilitation fee” for giving up claims. This controversial payment attracted regulatory attention, with the Enforcement Directorate and courts investigating Modi for exceeding his authority.