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Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has put forth a daring proposal aimed at revitalizing Test cricket, which he describes as 'dying.' He suggests that IPL franchises should take ownership of Test teams to draw in younger players and audiences, thereby preserving the longest format of the game.

During an appearance on The Overlap Podcast with ex-England cricketer Michael Vaughan, Modi emphasized that while international matches should remain paramount, IPL teams could host exhibition matches to attract younger fans. He stated, "The only way Test cricket will work, somebody's going to shoot me for saying this. First time I'm saying this. Let the IPL teams own Test cricket teams. You got the youngsters, you got the loyalty factors. You play your country versus country, without doubt, that's premier. I'm saying you have it as a world championship that goes around the world every year, you play those without doubt, but also so that it doesn't disappear, you have exhibition matches starting off with it--teams playing test cricket. At least play one 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."

He further noted that fostering loyalty among young fans necessitates early engagement and providing them with a memorable cricket experience. "And if you want to build loyalty with the youngsters, you got to catch them young and you've got to give them the experience."

Modi expressed his concern about the global decline of Test cricket, stating that only Australia and England maintain a strong interest in the format, primarily due to events like the Ashes. He lamented, "I hope Test cricket survives because I love Test cricket. You look at the generation that is growing up now. Unfortunately, they are not experiencing it anywhere else except in Australia and England. These are the only two countries that are actually keeping the level of Test up because of the Ashes and because of the English season, and you have the advantage of that, but the rest of the world, Test is dying."

In addition, Modi proposed that traditional five-day Test matches be shortened to four-day day-night formats. He remarked, "Now people think I'm crazy to suggest this, but I care about it, and my suggestion has always been, and since 2007, I've been saying this: Tests should turn into a four-day game, it should be day and night."

He argued that contemporary audiences lack the time and patience for lengthy Test matches, contrasting it with earlier times when cricket was less accessible. "People don't have the luxury today to go out there and spend four days all day sitting in the sun and drinking beer. I'm sorry. Those were the good old days when you had a single-channel television and the Test was rare and not accessible with media today, available to you on the fly. Every match around the world is available to you," Modi concluded.