- Lalit Modi attributes cricket exit to Dawood Ibrahim threats.
- He describes terrifying Dawood call regarding IPL betting.
- Modi faced police security, attacks, son’s kidnapping.
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has made sensational claims that alleged death threats from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his syndicate were among the biggest reasons behind his decision to permanently step away from cricket administration. In a recent interview, Modi recounted several alleged incidents linked to the underworld, including assassination attempts and threats against his family. He also described a phone call purportedly involving Dawood Ibrahim, admitting that the encounter left him terrified. Modi alleged that his firm stance against match-fixing and illegal betting networks brought him into direct conflict with powerful criminal interests operating around cricket.
The Dawood Call
Recalling an alleged 2012 encounter, Modi claimed a London-based fixer took him to meet a man known as “Baba”, who promised to resolve his issues with Dawood Ibrahim. According to Modi, Baba then used a satellite phone to place a call to the underworld don. Describing his reaction, Modi said, “I pissed in my pants.” He alleged that the threats against him stemmed from his decision to shift the IPL to South Africa, causing heavy losses to betting syndicates that had wagered the tournament would not be moved.
#WATCH | On being asked if he retired from cricket because of Dawood Ibrahim, IPL founder and first chairman Lalit Modi says, “It is one of the biggest reasons.”
He says, “He took three hits at me… Dawood himself said this… He missed three times… The reason was that I… pic.twitter.com/HKYlhdL2o6
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2026
Betting Battle
Speaking to ANI, Modi claimed that his efforts to safeguard the IPL from corruption put him at odds with what he described as a vast underground betting network allegedly controlled by Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company.
According to Modi, cricket betting has evolved far beyond traditional match-fixing. He claimed that betting syndicates now focus on individual overs and even specific deliveries, creating opportunities for manipulation on a much larger scale.
He further alleged that the illegal betting market linked to cricket was worth around $2 billion during the IPL’s early years and has since grown substantially. He argued that preventing such activities became a major challenge as the tournament expanded.
Also Read: Lalit Modi Reveals He Spends Rs 10-12 Crore In A Week: ‘Was Born With Diamond Spoon In Mouth’
Threats And Attacks
The IPL founder also alleged that criminal elements suffered significant financial losses when the tournament was shifted to South Africa in 2009 and subsequently targeted him in retaliation.
Lalit Modi claimed that Mumbai Police provided him with Z-category security after intelligence inputs regarding threats to his life. He also alleged that shots were fired outside his Mumbai residence while he was in Cape Town and that he survived separate assassination attempts in Johannesburg and Montenegro. In another startling claim, Modi said his son was briefly kidnapped in London.
He maintained that he ultimately chose to withdraw from cricket administration as part of an understanding that would end the threats against him. The allegations remain his personal claims, and no independent evidence was presented during the interview to substantiate them.
Also Read: Kochi Tuskers IPL Row: Lalit Modi Drops Bombshell, Claims Shashi Tharoor Threatened Him With Government Raids
