In a series of explosive revelations regarding the tumultuous 2010 Kochi Tuskers Indian Premier League (IPL) controversy, former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has alleged that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor directly threatened him with government raids. Modi claimed the threat was made to stop him from investigating the suspicious equity structure involving Tharoor’s late wife, Sunanda Pushkar.
Speaking in an interview with ANI, Modi recalled that the conflict erupted during a late-night franchise meeting in Bengaluru. The Kochi consortium had won the expansion team bid for a staggering $350 million, but Modi grew highly suspicious of their financial framework.
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According to Modi, a massive 25% free equity stake – along with 15% of the team’s future revenue – was being allocated to Sunanda Pushkar despite her contributing zero capital to the franchise. When Modi demanded to know her identity and refused to sign the official franchise agreement until all shadow shareholders were made public, the situation escalated rapidly.
Alleged Threat From Foreign Minister
Lalit Modi alleged that he subsequently received an aggressive phone call from Tharoor, who was serving as India’s Minister of State for External Affairs at the time:
“I get a call from Shashi Tharoor on the phone. He says, ‘Lalit, don’t ask about Sunanda Pushkar. She is a good friend of mine.’ I asked why, and he said, ‘If you do, I’ll have you raided in the morning.’ I said, ‘Screw you. Who the hell do you think you are? You may be the Foreign Minister of India, but don’t you dare ever tell me this.’ I slammed the phone and said I would not sign.”
#WATCH | On the 2010 IPL Kochi scandal, IPL founder and first chairman Lalit Modi says, “Sonia Gandhi was backing Shashi Tharoor. I got calls from Ahmed Patel and Pranab Mukherjee in those days. You had that p@** Rajeev Shukla coming up to me and say ‘Chalo Ahmed Patel aa raha… pic.twitter.com/eYX8zIXu4h
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2026
Signed Under Duress Amid UPA Pressure
Modi further claimed that his resistance triggered a massive political backlash. He alleged that the entire machinery of the then-ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government ganged up against him, stating that Tharoor enjoyed high-level political backing from Sonia Gandhi. Modi noted that he received numerous calls from top Congress leaders of the era, including Ahmed Patel, Pranab Mukherjee, and Rajiv Shukla, all pressuring him to comply.
Despite his pleas to delay the signing until morning, then-BCCI President Shashank Manohar allegedly demanded he execute the contract immediately. Modi stated that he eventually signed the paperwork under immense duress, explicitly noting on the official document that he was being forced to do so by the board’s president.
The controversial Kochi franchise was eventually terminated by the BCCI in 2011 after playing just a single IPL season. The fallout from the April 2010 equity scandal had previously forced Shashi Tharoor to resign from his ministerial post.
