The Indian Premier League. Its mere mention forces cricket fans across the world to sit up and take notice. World cricket's most valued property has only grown stronger with time.

In his editorial notes, Boria Majumdar remarked: "Having followed Modi's career in cricket administration closely, it was only natural I'd want to chronicle the story of the IPL. Lalit Modi loved a spectacle, and the IPL was the mother of them all.

The question in the initial years was why is it that the IPL continued to sell? Why and how could teams get multiple brands on board year on year? What was the attraction? What was Modi doing to make things work? With so much cricket played around the year, what is it about the IPL that made it the most watched cricket tournament in the World?

Conceived and implemented by Lalit Modi in 2008, the IPL has forever revolutionised the way cricket is marketed and run globally. Modi had built and orchestrated the tournament by his own rules and after the stupendous success of the IPL, the same rules were questioned by the administration. Modi was subsequently banned for life.

Majumdar believes, the IPL, which was perhaps the biggest gamble of Modi's life, turned out to be the biggest success story ever, making Lalit Modi a cult in the echelons of global sport. And in creating the the IPL, Modi ended up giving a new life to cricket in India and beyond.

Modi's biggest success, according to Majumdar, was being able to fill stadiums for 4 p.m. games and it was something very few could have imagined. Lalit had made the brand bigger than Bollywood and it was a success story like no other.

How and why did it happen? What went on behind the scenes? How did it all start to go wrong between Modi and the others? Are there secrets that will never come out? This book is all about everything you never got to know.

Soon to be made into a film by Vibri Motion Pictures, Maverick Commissioner documents things exactly as they happened. No holds barred and no questions left out. It doesn't judge Lalit Modi. All it does is narrate his story. Who is the real Lalit Modi? Let the readers decide.

Having covered international sport between 2002 and 2022, Boria Majumdar, a Rhodes scholar is recognised as one of India's most influential commentators. He has written more than 1500 columns on sports during the last 20 years and has authored or co-authored multiple books.