New Delhi: Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and founder Lalit Modi made a startling revelation over his decision to leave India 14 years ago. He said that it was D-gang leader Dawood Ibrahim who gave him death threats in the context of match-fixing scenes in the IPL.
It was the brainchild of Modi to start the IPL right after India’s success at the 2007 T20 World Cup in Johannesburg. Shortly after the completion of the IPL 2010 final in Navi Mumbai, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended Modi for financial irregularity charges against him.
He subsequently left from the country, citing threats from gangsters from underworld and has now settled in United Kingdom. In a recent interaction with Raj Shamani on his podcast ‘ Figuring Out With Raj Shamani’, the 60-year-old Indian businessman revealed that Dawood Ibrahim had made repeated threats to his life.
“I I did leave the country! When there was a death threat to me! There was no legal case to start with! I had a death threat from Dawood Ibrahim,” he told Raj Shamani.
“Speaking about the Dawood side of this. I was told by my personal bodyguard, ‘You need to use the back entrance at the airport where VIP planes land.’ When I arrived, I saw Himanshu Roy, the deputy commissioner of police, waiting for me. He told me, ‘We cannot protect you anymore. There is a hit on your life, and we can only ensure your safety for the next 12 hours.’ They could only protect me from the airport to the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai,” he added.
Lalit Modi credits Shah Rukh Khan for bringing entertainment side
Lalit Modi revealed that star Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan wasn’t interested to buy the Kolkata franchise and was keen for the Mumbai brand. Since business tycoon Mukesh Ambani bought the Mumbai outfit, the film personality eventually went for the Kolkata team, which is now famously known as KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders). The founder of IPL also hailed SRK for bringing the entertainment side to the cash-rich league.
“But Shah Rukh’s real contribution was in making cricket entertaining. He brought women and children into the stadiums, which was critical for IPL’s success. That’s why we had music, cheerleaders, and a festival-like atmosphere—he turned it into an event for everyone,” Lalit said.
Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and founder Lalit Modi made a startling revelation over his decision to leave India 14 years ago. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
