5 stunning IPL controversies revealed by former chairman Lalit Modi in latest podcast
Lalit Modi is one of the most surprising enigmatic figures in Indian history. After his brainchild, the Indian Premier League (IPL), came to fruition successfully, he should have been at the summit by now, given how much the competition has progressed in close to two decades. However, what transpired were allegations, punishment, and eventually banishment.
The former IPL chairman has not had any involvement with the tournament after the first three editions. In a rare interaction, through a recent podcast episode, Modi spilled all the possible beans there was to be spilled, giving a glimpse into the alarming atrocities that transpire beyond the ropes and behind the scenes.
On that note, let us take a look at stunning IPL controversies revealed by former chairman Lalit Modi in the latest podcast.
#1 Auction and umpiring rigging
The biggest fear that fans and franchise owners have while investing their time, money, and resources into it, is whether it will be transparent or not. If it is lopsided, then it is not worth it. It did not take long for the IPL to be marred Match fixing and corruption accusations, a battle that is being fought to this day.
However, Modi's recent claims just go onto show the extent to which the issue runs within the tournament. While the claims of match-fixing is a gray area, with several players and teams being caught up in it, Modi admitted that the issue was so deep rooted that even the allocation of umpires for matches were rigged.
“He (N Srinivasan) didn’t like IPL; he didn’t think IPL will work but when it started to work everybody got the bandwagon. He was member and secretary of the board also so he was the biggest adversary of mine. I went up against him, so he did many things, umpire fixing, he said, ‘I did it’, Lalit Modi said on Figuring Out with Raj Shamani.
“I accused him for it. He would change the umpire and I didn’t think two things about it. But then I realized he is putting Chennai umpire in Chennai games, it’s an issue for me. That’s called fixing so when I tried to expose those, he went totally against me,” he added.
The IPL Auction, an adrenaline rush event that fans and franchises eagerly wait for, also needs as much transparency as the main tournament. However, Modi went on record to suggest that the auction is far from a clean process.
"Take out everything auction ringing, this ringing, I gave Flintoff to Srinivasan. Yes, we did. No doubt about it, every team knew about it. Srinivasan wasn’t going to let IPL happen. He was a thorn in our bush. Yes, we told everybody not to bid for [Andrew] Flintoff,” he added
#2 Death threats by Dawood Ibrahim
Indian cricket and the underworld go a long way back. Their mere presence poisoned and influenced players and organizations. Match-fixing had taken a backseat in India after the infamous scandal in 2000. However, the IPL came across as a lucrative option for the act to be in the background once again.
“I left the country when I got death threats. I got death threats from Dawood Ibrahim. Dawood Ibrahim was after me because he wanted to fix matches. I had a 'zero policy' on fixing matches," Modi said.
"There was no legal case to start with. Dawood Ibrahim made the threat to me first after IPL-1 because I was also anti-corruption. I didn’t allow any...I was a very strict anti-corruption commissioner. “In the three years of my tenure, there was not one incident of corruption, not one controversy of fixing,” Modi added
#3 Kochi Tuskers Sale saga with Shashi Tharoor
The addition of more teams was part of the natural process once the league was a success, and two new teams were added to the competition for the 2011 edition. One of the franchises was based in Kochi, named as the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, but it was defunct after just a year in operation.
Lalit Modi shed light on how he was forced to include a 25 percent stake in the franchise ownership to Sunanda Pushkar, the late wife of Shashi Tharoor. When he opposed the move since there was no contribution coming from her side, he was threatened by the Kerala politician.
“Don’t you dare ask about Sunanda Pushkar. If you do, I will have you raided by ED tomorrow, you will be taken by Income Tax and we will jail you,” Modi recalled.
Ultimately, after immense pressure from BCCI and political parties, he was forced to approve the request, which landed him in hot water later on.
#4 Forced resignation
Lalit Modi's reign ended with the 2010 edition of the IPL, when he was suspended and banned for life by the BCCI for misconduct, indiscipline, and financial irregularities. He initially faced a suspension, which was converted into a life-time ban after he was found guilty of the charges he was accused of.
"There were no accusations about me at all, and it was the IPL Final Day, third season. They said that we need you to resign, because we want to do an inquiry. They also said that they had pressure from the political parties, all political pressure, from the Prime Minister downwards," Modi said.
"I said I will not resign, if you want to fire me, then fire me. They were worried about the closing speech, I said I will go out there and do the closing speech. I am going to explain the controversy to the people," he added.
#5 Corruption in cricket
As mentioned earlier, Modi had stated that his staunch anti-corruption policy made him a target. He further added that it was no surprise that after his departure, the tournament was caught up in a myriad of spot-fixing allegations.
The likes of Ankeeth Chavan, Ajit Chandila, and S Sreesanth were banned, while two franchises, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) were also banned for two seasons in 2015 after their owners were found guilty of betting and fixing.
"They offered big money, big money that you would not refuse. I refused. I was out of the game, I left in 2010, corruption began. I said if I am not there, somebody else they will corrupt. Who got caught? Meiyappan with his pants down. Who is he? The son-in-law of N Srinivasan," he stated.
"We knew corruption is there. I took on Chris Cairns and the ICL, I did not allow him into the IPL, because he had a stigma of corruption with him. He took me to court after three years after I came to the UK. He won the first round, the lied to the court. It was a big case, it cost me five million in legal fees. He cries and pulls the wool, claiming that he has not done it. The exchange of money and transactions are shown, he claims those are gifts from his attendance at weddings and events. No documentary proof hearsay," he added.