Lalit Modi

Last updated

Minal Sagrani
​
​
(m. 1991;died 2018)​
Lalit Modi
Modi at IPL Players Auction.jpg
Modi at the DLF IPL players auction, 2010
Founder and Commissioner of Indian Premier League
In office
2008–2010
Children2
Parents
Residence(s)London, UK
Alma mater
Occupation Businessman
Known forFounding and being the first League Commissioner of the Indian Premier League
Website lalitmodi.com

Lalit Modi (born 29 November 1963) is an Indian businessman and former cricket administrator. [1] [2] [3] [4] He was the founder, first chairman and League Commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and ran the tournament for three years until 2010. He also served as the Chairman of the Champions League from 2008 till 2010 and was Vice President of the BCCI from 2005 till 2010. He has also served as the President of the Rajasthan Cricket Association from 2005 till 2009 and then again from 2014 till 2015, and as the vice president of the Punjab Cricket Association from 2004 till 2012.

Contents

As a close associate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vasundhara Raje, Modi once held considerable political clout in Rajasthan. During Raje's first term as the Chief Minister, he was called "Super Chief Minister" by the opposition and the media. In 2010, Modi alleged that the Indian National Congress minister Shashi Tharoor held indirect free equity in the Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise, ultimately leading to Tharoor's resignation. The Kochi franchise alleged that Modi was harassing them, because he wanted another group to win the franchise bid. Shortly after IPL 2010 ended, Modi was suspended from BCCI after being accused of misconduct, indiscipline and financial irregularities. BCCI launched an investigation against him, and banned him for life in 2013 after a committee found him guilty of these charges. Modi denied any wrongdoing, and blamed accusations on political rivalries. Shortly before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched an investigation against him for alleged financial irregularities, he moved to London and was labeled a fugitive.

Early life and education

Modi was born in Delhi on 29 November 1963, into one of India's leading business families, [5] the elder son of Krishan Kumar Modi and his wife Bina Modi. He has an elder sister, Charu Modi Bhartia, and a younger brother, Samir Modi. [6] His grandfather Gujar Mal Modi had established the Modi Group business conglomerate and the town of Modinagar. His father KK Modi greatly expanded the family business. [7] [8] : 191 

Modi joined Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, in 1971. [9] His family later moved him to St Joseph's College, Nainital, because of a kidnapping threat. [10] In 1980, he was expelled from St. Joseph's for truancy, having left school to watch a movie. [11]

Between 1983 and 1986, Modi studied electrical engineering and business administration in the United States. He attended Pace University in New York for two years, and then Duke University in North Carolina for one year. He did not graduate from either of these institutions. In 1985, while a sophomore, Modi and three other students tried to buy half a kilogram of cocaine for $10,000 at a motel. The man posing as a seller threatened them with a shotgun, and robbed them of $10,000. The next day, Modi and his friends beat up a student, whom they suspected of setting them up. [10] [12] [13] As a result, on 1 March 1985, Modi was arrested on charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, assault and second-degree kidnapping. The next day, Modi and another student were indicted. [14] Modi pleaded guilty to the crime when the case was heard in the Durham County court, North Carolina and later entered a plea bargain, which resulted in a suspended two-year prison sentence. [15] In lieu of prison time, he was placed under a five-year probation and ordered to do 100 hours' community service. In 1986, Modi sought permission from the court to return to India, citing bad health. The Durham County Court accepted his plea and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service in India. [10] Modi's return to India was facilitated by some of his father's businessmen friends, including Leonard Lauder. [16] When asked about this matter in 2010, Modi stated "I've got no idea about these allegations, which have been investigated and nothing was found." [12]

In 1986, Modi came back to Delhi, and joined the family business. He served as the President of International Tobacco Company Limited from 1987 to 1991. On 21 August 1989, he was made a Non-Executive & Non-Independent Director at Godfrey Phillips India, one of India's largest tobacco companies, and a joint venture between his family's Modi Enterprises and Philip Morris International. In February 1992, he was made an executive director of Godfrey Phillips India, and retained that position until 1 August 2010. [17]

Personal life

In Delhi, Modi started courting the nine-years-older Minal Sagrani, who was the daughter of Nigeria-based Sindhi Hindu businessman, Pesu Aswani, and the ex-wife of another Nigeria-based Sindhi businessman, Jack Sagrani. [18] His family initially opposed the marriage, as Minal was a recently divorced mother and nine years older than him. Modi managed to get his grandmother Dayawati Modi on his side, who convinced the family to agree to the marriage. The couple married on 17 October 1991 in Mumbai. The couple settled in Mumbai, as Minal faced a social boycott in Delhi. They initially lived in KK Modi's apartment in Pedder Road area, but later bought Minal's father's house in Juhu as their family grew. They have two children – son Ruchir Modi and daughter Aliya. Lalit Modi also has a step-daughter Karima Sagrani, from Minal's first marriage. [16] [19] On 10 December 2018, Minal died of cancer. [20]

In July 2022, he announced that he is dating former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. [21]

Early business career

In 1993, Modi established Modi Entertainment Networks (MEN), using money from a family trust. MEN started as a 10-year joint venture with Walt Disney Pictures, to broadcast some of Disney's content in India, including Fashion TV. [22] [23] In 1994, MEN became the pan-India distributor of ESPN on a ten-year contract worth $975 million. His job was to collect money from the cable companies in India in exchange for the broadcasting ESPN. [7] ESPN did not renew its contract with Modi, alleging that he underreported revenues. MEN also lost a contract with Fashion TV, after Modi fell out with its founder Michel Adam Lisowski. [10] Most of Modi's businesses in Mumbai were not profitable, and he lived on a maintenance allowance from his father's company. [16]

Later, Modi became the President and managing director of Modi Enterprises, an industrial conglomerate run by his family. [24] [25]

In 2002, Modi launched an online lottery business in Kerala called Sixo. [26]

Cricket administration

In the US, Modi had been impressed by the huge revenues of the American sports leagues. In 1995, he pitched his idea for a new 50-over tournament to BCCI. He even registered a name – Indian Cricket League Limited – for the proposed league. However, the BCCI did not take the proposal seriously. Modi then resolved to join the Board. As a step towards this goal, in 1999, he managed to get elected to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, a constituent body of BCCI. [8] : 166  However, his attempt to gain control of the Association failed, and he was forced to leave the Association by the Chief Minister of the state. [27] In 2004, Modi was elected as the vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Association, under the President Inderjit Singh Bindra. [19] He retained this position in the 2008 elections. [28]

Rajasthan Cricket Association

In 2003, Modi's friend Vasundhara Raje was elected as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Modi knew Raje through a common school friend Bina Kilachand, and had become one of the Chief Minister's closest associates. [16]

After his failed stint in Himachal Pradesh, Modi decided to gain control of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), another constituent body of BCCI. The RCA had been controlled by the Rungta business family for over three decades. It had 32 district associations as its constituent members, plus 66 individual members – all of whom were members or peons of the Rungta household. During the 1980s and 1990s, there were several unsuccessful attempts to eject the Rungta family from the RCA. After Vasundhara Raje became the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, a faction led by Modi started fresh attempts to defeat the Rungtas. Modi registered himself with the RCA under the name "Lalit Kumar", as a member of the Nagore district's cricket association. He didn't use his full name for the fear of being denied entry. [27] [29]

In 2005, Modi used his connections with Raje to get the Rajasthan Sports Act passed. This ordinance took away voting rights from the 66 individual members, leaving only the 32 district associations as voters. [30] As a result, Modi was elected as the President of RCA, defeating the incumbent Kishore Rungta by just 1 vote. [31]

As the RCA President, he spent ₹20 crore to renovate Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium, making it one of the best cricket stadiums in the country. He spent another ₹7 crore to build a state-of-the-art cricket academy. [6] He sold the boundary-rope advertising for ₹15 lakh per spot, more than double the previous rate. He also ended the practice of giving away tickets for free and sold corporate box seats for ₹1,25,000 each. [10]

Board of Control for Cricket in India

After becoming the RCA President in 2005, Modi helped the Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar defeat Jagmohan Dalmiya in the BCCI Presidential elections. [16] Subsequently, Modi was appointed vice-president of the BCCI. [32]

Lalit Modi was heavily involved in the commercial side of the BCCI. Between 2005 and 2008, BCCI's revenues increased sevenfold, touching the $1 billion mark. [33]

Indian Premier League

In 2008, Lalit Modi was instrumental in launching the Indian Premier League (IPL), based around Twenty20 cricket. He also engineered the IPL's move to South Africa in 2009, after the dates of the tournament clashed with the Indian general election and the Union Minister of Home Affairs, P. Chidambaram, could not commit to the security of the tournament. [34] [35] The IPL grew into one of the world's biggest sports league, worth over $4 billion. The commercial success of IPL and Modi's control of the league led to him being compared to Don King (boxing promoter) and Bernie Ecclestone (Formula One promoter). [36]

Modi's family and friends also profited from IPL. Suresh Chellaram, his brother-in-law (husband of his sister Kavita), owned a majority share in the Rajasthan Royals franchise. His step-daughter Karima's husband Gaurav Burman was a stakeholder in Global Cricket Venture, which won the digital, mobile and internet rights of the IPL. Gaurav's brother Mohit Burman was a stakeholder in Kings XI Punjab. Jay Mehta, one of the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders, is a childhood friend of Lalit Modi. [16] Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders were the cheapest franchises and very closely priced, leading to speculation that Modi had passed on insider information to the owners. [19]

Role in Rajasthan politics

As a close associate of the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Lalit Modi became a powerful figure in Rajasthan, and came to be known as a "super chief minister". He continued to live in Mumbai, where his network had expanded to include leading industrialists and Bollywood stars. He visited Jaipur frequently, and stayed at the Rambagh Palace, where ministers and civil servants would queue up to meet him and ask for favours. [29]

Modi entered the real estate business with a company called Amer Heritage City Construction Pvt Ltd, where his wife, Minal, served as a director. [37] Modi pressured local officials and secured control of two havelis near the Amer Fort, in contravention of Archaeological Survey of India's rules. [19] He intended to renovate and convert these havelis into a heritage resort. Mahant Shiv Prakash Bhattacharya, the 75-year-old titleholder of the Choor Singh ki Haveli, initiated a court case to thwart Modi's attempt to take over his haveli. [38] During Raje's tenure, the Jaipur Development Authority framed ad-hoc rules to allow re-classification of agricultural land and its use for non-agricultural purposes. This change, which benefited several big builders from Delhi, was allegedly presided over by Lalit Modi. [38]

In 2007, Modi disallowed the IAS officer Mahendra Surana to watch a match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, because he believed Suarana to be an associate of the Rungta faction of RCA. When Surana and his friend Hemendra Suarana (an army doctor and a former Ranji player) arrived at the Stadium, Modi tore their tickets. He repeated this act with the IPS officer R.P. Srivastava. [38] During a cricket match, he slapped a constable for walking into his box at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, leading to protests by the city's constabulary. [38]

Modi's increasing power in Rajasthan politics became a key issue in the 2008 Rajasthan elections, which Raje lost. Ashok Gehlot of Congress, who succeeded Raje as the Chief Minister, accused Modi of acting as an "extra-constitutional authority" during his campaign. After Raje was voted out of power, Modi's power in Rajasthan reduced considerably. In January 2009, he had spent several hours at a police station after an FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by a Samajwadi Party activist for forgery. [38] In March 2009, his faction lost the RCA election. The new leadership appointed a committee to probe alleged financial irregularities during his regime. [6]

Kochi Tuskers Kerala controversy

By 2009, suggestions of a rivalry between Modi and N. Srinivasan surfaced. [30] During 2009–10, Lalit Modi oversaw the bidding process for induction of two new teams in the Indian Premier League. In December 2009, he inserted two new clauses in the invitation to tender (ITT): the bidder should have a net worth of at least US$1 billion and must provide a bank guarantee of US$100 million. Modi stated that these clauses protected BCCI's interests. However, other BCCI board members claimed that he was rigging bids to suit Adani Group and Videocon Group, as the new clauses would rule out most of the other prospective bidders. After the ITT was floated on 22 February 2010, some of the prospective bidders, including Sahara Group and Jagran Group, complained to the BCCI President Shashank Manohar that they were being deliberately kept out of the tendering process. [39] After receiving only two bids, IPL changed the ITT, removing the net worth clause and reducing the guarantee amount to US$10 million. [40]

In March 2010, a consortium of investors led by Rendezvous Sports World (RSW) won a bid for the Kerala-based Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise. Indian National Congress leader and External Affairs minister Shashi Tharoor was involved in bringing together the various companies in this consortium. At that time, both Modi and Tharoor stated that the minister had no stake in the franchise, and was only facilitating a team for his native state Kerala. [41] On 11 April 2010, when a formal agreement was being signed between BCCI and the Kochi franchise, Modi asked the Kochi representatives about the identities of the sweat equity holders in the franchise. According to Modi, he received "evasive replies", and subsequently, a call from Tharoor instructing him not to probe the identities of Kochi's stakeholders. One of the sweat equity holders was Sunanda Pushkar, a close friend (and later wife) of Shashi Tharoor. Shortly after the agreement was signed, Modi disclosed the names of Kochi's stakeholders via a tweet. [39] Modi alleged that Pushkar's shares were actually a hidden gift to Tharoor. RSW threatened to sue Modi for violating confidentiality agreement, and claimed that Modi was creating problems for Kochi because he wanted other bidders to win. Tharoor denied that he had any financial stake in the Kochi franchise, and stated that his role was limited to offering "encouragement, blessings and expert advise" to the RSW-led group of bidders. [42] Tharoor argued that there was no reason for the investors to bribe him, since he had no influence over the auction. Sunanda Pushkar stated that she would give up her stake in the Kochi franchise. Ultimately, Tharoor had to resign as a minister amid allegations of corruption. [43]

Expulsion from BCCI and exile in London

On 16 April 2010, the representatives of the Kochi franchise complained to BCCI that Lalit Modi had threatened them to give up the franchise. A day after the IPL final on 24 April, BCCI suspended Modi on 22 charges, including bypassing the governing council while taking decisions, not following proper processes, bid rigging, awarding contracts to his friends, accepting kickbacks on a broadcast deal, selling franchises to members of his family, betting and money laundering. Soon after his suspension, Modi moved to London, where his wife Minal's family lived. [10] In London, he hired Carter-Ruck to fight BCCI's charges, and sent out defamation notices of his own. He also spent time expanding his family business in Europe. [10] Modi believed that N Srinivasan, who later became the BCCI President, had masterminded his ouster from BCCI. In 2012, Modi alleged that Srinivasan had fixed the auction of Andrew Flintoff in 2009. He also supported Aditya Verma, the secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar, who was fighting a separate legal battle against Srinivasan. [30]

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate of the Indian government launched investigations in following cases against Modi and other BCCI officials: [44]

Modi defended himself arguing that he was not individually responsible for the decisions: BCCI and its committees took these decisions collectively. [45] He refused to return to India, stating that there was a threat to his life. The Mumbai Police endorsed his claim, stating that underworld gangsters had threatened him after he refused to pay extortion money. Dawood Ibrahim and his associate Chhota Shakeel had sent hitmen to kill Modi and his family, when the Modis were on a vacation in Thailand. [46] [47]

In 2010, Modi claimed on Twitter that New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns had been involved in match-fixing during 2008. In March 2012, Cairns successfully sued Modi for making false statements and won $950,000 in damages. [48]

In 2013, a BCCI committee found Modi guilty on 8 charges, which resulted in his expulsion from BCCI. The committee was led by the BCCI vice-president and BJP leader Arun Jaitley; its other members included the Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chirayu Amin. [49] The charges against Modi included: [50]

  1. Rigging bids: Adding two onerous clauses to the invitation to tender draft without informing the BCCI, to favour two bidders. (Modi claimed that he had verbally informed the BCCI President Shashank Manohar).
  2. Threatening a representative of the Kochi Tuskers Kerala to give up their franchise rights or face sanctions
  3. Favouring World Sports Group (WSG) for TV rights
  4. Failing to disclose links to owners with interests in Internet rights (Guarav Burman, his step-daughter's husband, held a stake in Global Cricket Venture)
  5. Misconduct of threatening to "expose certain individuals in the BCCI" via tweets
  6. Planning a rival cricket league with clubs in England
  7. Awarding theatrical rights to a company without the governing council's approval
  8. Signing a free commercial time deal with an agency without the governing council's approval

As a result, BCCI banned Modi for life in 2013. [51]

Re-election and ouster from RCA

In December 2013, the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) held fresh elections. However, the results were postponed 6 times by the Supreme Court due to court cases filed by Kishore Rungta and the BCCI. [31] On 6 May 2014, Lalit Modi was re-elected as the president of Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), while residing in London. Immediately after his election, the BCCI banned the RCA and elected an ad hoc body to carry administrative function of RCA. Lalit Modi took the legal route to fight BCCI's declaration. [52]

In March 2014, Modi alleged that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had evidence regarding the existence of spot and match-fixing in the Champions League T20 cricket tournament and that world cricket's governing body was deliberately not making it public. [53]

On 9 March 2015, a group led by Amin Pathan moved a no-confidence motion against Lalit Modi, who was until then, the President of RCA. According to the Rajasthan State Sports Act, a minimum attendance of 23 was required to make a quorum. 23 people attended the meeting, out of whom 17 voted against Modi. Only one vote in Modi's support was counted: five other votes were discarded as disputed. 12 more of Modi's supporters were denied entry into the meeting, on the ground that they were late by 10 minutes. The delay occurred because their vehicles were stopped, and they were beaten with rods by a mob. 5 more votes were discarded as disputed. In the end, Modi was ousted as the President by a controversial 17–1 vote. Pathan denied any role in the attack on Modi's supporters, and suggested that the attack was staged by them as an excuse for their pending defeat. [54]

"Modigate"

In March 2010, while Modi was in London, the Congress-led Indian Government revoked his passport. Modi challenged the decision in the Delhi High Court. [30] The High Court restored Modi's passport in August 2014. [55] In June 2015, British Member of Parliament Keith Vaz was reported to the parliamentary standards commissioner for lobbying UK immigration officials on behalf of Lalit Modi. It was revealed that Vaz had mentioned a recommendation from Sushma Swaraj in his correspondence with the immigration officials. Modi's wife Minal was diagnosed with breast cancer during 2008–09, and was being treated in Portugal. In 2014, Sushma Swaraj requested the British authorities provide assistance by law of the land. Based on her recommendation, the British authorities provided Modi travel documents on the pretext of signing the consent for his wife's operation, although the same was not a requirement in Portugal. [56]

Modi also revealed that on 25 August 2011, BJP leader Vasundhara Raje (also an opposition leader at that time) signed a document supporting his application to the British authorities. The application, which was never presented to the British authorities, had a secrecy clause that it should not be revealed to the Indian authorities. [57] In her affidavit, Raje had claimed that Modi was a victim of a "political witch hunt" by the Congress. [58] Earlier, in 2013, a Jaipur-based lawyer Poonam Chand Bhandari had filed a public interest litigation in the Delhi high court, claiming that Lalit Modi had transferred millions of rupees to a company owned by Vasundhara Raje and her son Dushyant Singh, using a shell company. [59] Dushyant Singh owns Niyant Heritage Hotels Private Limited (NHHPL), and his mother Vasundhara Raje holds 3,280 shares in the company. [60] In 2008, Lalit Modi's company Anand Heritage Hotels Private Limited (AHHPL) provided an unsecured loan of ₹ 38 million to NHHPL. During 2008–09, AHHPL acquired 815 shares in NHHPL, paying ₹ 96,000 for each share, although the face value of each share was only ₹ 10. NHHPL, which previously had a paid up capital of ₹ 1 million, thus received a total of 116.3 million from AHHPL. [61] [62] In June 2015, the Congress accused Vasundhara Raje of corruption, alleging that she had granted favours to Lalit Modi in exchange for the money. BJP argued that Raje had acted as a friend of Modi, and not in her capacity as a political leader. [63]

The controversy resulting from these revelations was termed as "Modigate" by the Indian media. The opposition parties accused the BJP leaders of shielding Lalit Modi, who was wanted in several cases of financial irregularities in India. [64] [65] Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi called the controversy a matter of political vendetta, and claimed that he had been hounded by the Congress ever since the Shashi Tharoor-Sunanda Pushkar controversy of 2010. [66]

As a result, Interpol, the international law enforcement agency, issued a light blue notice against Modi to be arrested on Indian soil. However, in June 2015, and despite the Interpol notice, Modi took a picture with ex-Interpol Chief Ronald Noble and uploaded it to his Instagram account while attending the El Clasico match in Barcelona. In the post, he referred to Noble as his “brother”. The incident caused significant media backlash within India as many began to raise questions about the connection between men with criminal reputations like Modi and international law enforcement. Yet Noble, who served as the head of Interpol from 2000 to 2014, denied any knowledge of Modi's criminal activities despite evidence that Modi was on an Interpol watch list for some time. [67]

One month later, a series of emails revealed Modi's further ties with Noble and his brother James. Indian media released a set of emails exchanged between the three men between 21 and 26 January 2014, discussing a property worth $365,000 in the United States. Ronald Noble explained that his brother and Modi entered into a joint business venture around the property, under which Modi would purchase the house, while James Noble would maintain it at his own expense. Modi and James Noble would split the profits equally once the property was sold. Noble stated that there was no conflict of interest, because at the time of this deal he was not an Interpol employee and Modi was of no interest to Interpol. [68] As of 2015, Lalit Modi has not been convicted of any charges as part of the ED investigation. [69] [70]

The Enforcement Directorate of India had requested Interpol to issue a global warrant against Lalit Modi. However, in 2017, the Interpol which had been delaying the issuance, rejected this request.

Awards and recognitions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajasthan Cricket Association</span> Governing body for cricket sport in Rajasthan state, India.

The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), headquartered in Jaipur, is the governing body of cricket in the state of Rajasthan. RCA administers the game of cricket in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The Rajasthan Cricket Association was founded in 1931 at Ajmer and was formerly known as the Rajputana Cricket Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Premier League</span> Franchise T20 cricket league annually held in India

The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as the TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league held annually in India. Founded by the BCCI (the Board of Control for Cricket in India) in 2007, the league features ten state or city-based franchise teams. It is the most popular and biggest cricket league and it usually takes place during the summer for 2 months, between March and May each year. It has an exclusive window in the ICC Future Tours Programme, resulting in fewer international cricket tours occurring during the IPL seasons.

The 2008 Indian Premier League season was the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, established by the BCCI in 2007. The season commenced on 18 April 2008 with the final match was held on 1 June 2008. The competition started with a double round robin league stage, in which each of the 8 teams played a home match and an away match against every other team. These matches were followed by two semi-finals and a final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajasthan Royals</span> Indian franchise cricket team

Rajasthan Royals are a professional franchise cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight IPL franchises, the team is owned by Manoj Badale and The Royals Sports Group. The Royals team is based at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. It plays its home matches at Sawai Mansingh Stadium and at ACA Stadium, Guwahati. The Royals are known to unearth obscure and high potential talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab Kings</span> Indian franchise cricket team

Punjab Kings (PBKS), formerly Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), is a professional franchise cricket team based in Mullanpur, Mohali, Punjab, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul. The team plays its home matches at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, although since the 2010 season, they have played some matches at the Dharamsala and Indore. Apart from the 2014 season when they topped the league table and finished runners-up, the team has made only one other playoff appearance.

The Jaipur bombings were a series of nine synchronized bomb blasts that took place on 13 May 2008 within a span of 15 minutes at locations in Jaipur, the capital city of the Indian state of Rajasthan and a tourist destination. Official reports confirm 63 dead with 216 or more people injured. The bombings shocked most of India and resulted in widespread condemnation from leaders across the world with many countries showing solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. P. Joshi</span> Indian politician

C. P. Joshi is an Indian politician and a five-time MLA from Nathdwara, Rajasthan. He was born in a Brahmin family in Nathdwara, Rajasthan and he is a member of the Indian National Congress. He has previously served as Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. Previously, he was the Member of Parliament of India from Bhilwara in the 15th Lok Sabha. He was one of the first 19 members of India's new cabinet sworn in on 22 May 2009, despite being a first-time member of the Lok Sabha. As a union minister, Joshi held key portfolios like Road Transport and Highways, and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in the Second Manmohan Singh ministry. Moreover, he was also a Cabinet Minister of the Government of Rajasthan from 1998 to 2003.

Shashank Venkatesh Manohar is a prominent Indian lawyer and cricket administrator. He twice served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, from 2008 to 2011, and again from November 2015 to May 2016. He served as the chairman of the International Cricket Council from November 2015 to March 2017. On 24 March 2017, a resolution was passed to reinstate him as the chairman until a successor was elected.

The 2011 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 4 or the IPL 2011, was the fourth season of the Indian Premier League, the top Twenty20 cricket league in India. The tournament was hosted in India and the opening and closing ceremonies were held in M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, the home venue of the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings. The season ran from 8 April to 28 May 2011. This season the number of teams in the league went from eight to ten with the additions of the Pune Warriors India and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Sundar Raman is an Indian sports business professional. He is currently working with Reliance Industries Limited as its CEO - Sports.

Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited (RSW) was a cricket franchise in the Indian Premier League which had 100% of equity on Kochi IPL Team. Rendezvous Sports World Limited is a consortium made up of multiple companies. It had made the winning bid of USD 333 million in a global invitation to tender process called by the IPL for two new franchises from IPL season 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kochi Tuskers Kerala</span> Indian Premier League team that represented Kochi, Kerala

Kochi Tuskers Kerala was a franchise cricket team that played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) representing the city of Kochi, Kerala. The team was one of two new franchises added to the IPL for the 2011 season, alongside Pune Warriors India. The team franchise was owned by Kochi Cricket Pvt Ltd., which was a consortium of multiple companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pune Warriors India</span> Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket team

Pune Warriors India was a franchise Twenty20 cricket team that represented the city of Pune in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team was one of two IPL franchises from the Indian state of Maharashtra, the other being Mumbai Indians. It was one of two new franchises added to the IPL for the 2011 season, alongside the also-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The team was owned by Sahara Group Sports Limited, a group company of the Indian business conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar. The team's home ground was the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium located in Gahunje, Pune.

The 2012 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 5 or the IPL 2012 or the DLF IPL 2012, was the fifth season of the Indian Premier League, initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007 with the first season played in 2008. The tournament began on 4 April and ended on 27 May 2012. Kolkata Knight Riders were the winning team, beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in the final. This season the number of teams in the league went from ten to nine with the termination of Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Narayanaswami Srinivasan is an Indian industrialist and former cricket administrator. He was the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the President of the BCCI, the governing body for cricket in India. He is also the owner and managing director of the firm India Cements, and is the owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings.

The 2014 Indian Premier League season was the seventh season of the Indian Premier League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. The tournament featured eight teams, one fewer than in 2013 after the withdrawal of the Pune Warriors India, and was held from 16 April 2014 to 1 June 2014. The opening ceremony was held in the UAE on 15 April 2014. Kolkata Knight Riders won the tournament, defeating Kings XI Punjab by 3 wickets with Manish Pandey declared the man of the match in the final. The average attendance for the tournament was 31,751.

Ranjit Barthakur is an Indian businessman, from Jorhat, Assam. He is the Executive Chairman of Royal Multisport Pvt. Ltd., the company that owns the Indian Premier League team, Rajasthan Royals. Barthakur is married to Radhika Barthakur of the Nehru-Gandhi family of India. He was appointed Advisor to the Chief Minister of Assam under the Congress Government. He was asked to resign when the BJP Government came to power in 2016.

Sanjeeb Mukherjea is an Indian sports Journalist and Cricket Editor of DD Sports and CNN-News18 channel. He has over a decade long experience in the industry having made a mark for himself in investigative journalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gujarat Titans</span> Indian cricket franchise

Gujarat Titans (GT) are a professional franchise cricket team based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The Titans compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2021, Gujarat Titans' home ground is Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. The franchise is owned by CVC Capital Partners. The team is currently captained by Shubman Gill.The Gujarat Titans are coached by Ashish Nehra. They won their maiden title in the 2022 season under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya, which was also their debut season.

References

  1. ↑ "The IPL founder, the fugitive: Who is Lalit Modi?". The Indian Express. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Prabhakar, Vinay (8 August 2020). "#Exclusive: Who is Protecting Fugitive Lalit Modi? RTI Reveals No Action On Request For CBI Probe Against Modi". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "13 years on, Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) realizes fugitive Lalit Modi is still its patron". The Times of India. 28 February 2023. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Cricket czar to fugitive: Lalit Modi's meteoric rise, momentous fall". India Today. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Lalit Modi". ESPNcricinfo.
  6. 1 2 3 Debaashis Bhattacharya (19 April 2009). "Who's this man?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009.
  7. 1 2 "The other side of Lalit Modi". Indian Express. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 James Astill (2013). The Great Tamasha. Bloomsbury. ISBN   9781408192207.
  9. ↑ Sharma, Surender (26 April 2010). "Lalit Modi never gave up without a fight". Mid-day.com. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Samanth Subramanian (1 March 2011). "The Confidence Man".
  11. ↑ Vineet Upadhyay (19 June 2015). "Lalit Modi wasn't one to follow rules even as a boy". The Times of India.
  12. 1 2 Tomar, KS (18 April 2010). "Is this man a genius or a bad guy?". Hindustan Times . Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  13. ↑ Abhishek Dubey (2011). The IPL Story: Cricket, Glamour and Big Money. Pearson Education India. pp. 33–35. ISBN   978-81-317-5800-7.
  14. ↑ Berry, Scyld (15 June 2008). "Drugs and 'kidnap' charges could bring down Indian Premier League chief, Lalit Modi". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  15. ↑ "Drug rap returns to haunt IPL boss Modi". Hindustan Times. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kunal Pradhan (23 April 2010). "Lalit Modi: The untold story". Bangalore Mirror.
  17. ↑ Lalit Kumar Modi. "Lalit Modi: Executive Profile & Biography – Businessweek". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "The changing fortunes of Lalit Modi". Rediff.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Rohit Mahajan, Arindam Mukherjee (3 May 2010). "Captain Crony Capital". Outlook.
  20. ↑ "Lalit Modi's wife Minal dies. Read tribute penned by former IPL boss". 11 December 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "'A new beginning': Lalit Modi announces he is dating Sushmita Sen, calls her 'my better half'; photos break the internet". Hindustan Times. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  22. ↑ Singh, Rohini (19 April 2010). "Lalit Modi involved in betting, murky deals: I-T report". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  23. ↑ Das, Sibabrata. "ESPN to end distribution pact with Modi Entertainment Network". Express India. Retrieved 20 April 2010.[ dead link ]
  24. ↑ Blakely, Rhys (12 March 2010). "Lalit Modis vision of world domination for Indian Premier League". The Times. London.[ dead link ]
  25. ↑ "Lalit will head family flagship, says father". The Economic Times. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Modi and controversy go a long way back : IPL 2010, News – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  27. 1 2 Rahul Bhatia (20 May 2006). "Mr Big Deal". Tehelka.
  28. ↑ "Bindra remains Punjab Cricket Association president. Cricket News. Global". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  29. 1 2 Samanth Subramanian (16 June 2015). "The Longstanding and Successfully Symbiotic Relationship between Lalit Modi and Vasundhara Raje".
  30. 1 2 3 4 Chander Shekhar Luthra and Derek Abraham (15 June 2015). "Who spilled the beans on Lalit Modi travel documents?". DNA.
  31. 1 2 Nagraj Gollapudi and Amol Karhadkar (5 January 2014). "FAQs: The Rajasthan Cricket Association election case". ESPN.
  32. ↑ "Lalit Modi has no problem with IPL cash flows". cricket20. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  33. 1 2 Wade, Matt (8 March 2008). "The tycoon who changed cricket". The Age. Melbourne.
  34. ↑ Hoult, Nick (22 May 2009). "Lalit Modi unveils ambitious IPL plans for global domination". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  35. ↑ "IPL confirms South Africa switch". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  36. ↑ "Lalit Modi: India's maverick impresario". BBC News. 26 April 2010.
  37. ↑ "Modi and controversy go a long way back : IPL 2010, News – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 Smita Gupta (16 February 2009). "Out Of The Premier League". Outlook.
  39. 1 2 Amol Karhadkar (7 September 2013). "How Kochi finally claimed Modi".
  40. ↑ "IPL may get 6 bidders for 2 new teams". Rediff.
  41. ↑ Pune, Kochi win bid for franchises. Cricbuzz, 22 March 2010.
  42. ↑ "Revealed: The Kochi controversy inside story". Times Now. 13 April 2010.
  43. ↑ "Shashi Tharoor Resigns: India Cricket Scandal Takes Down Government Minister". Huffington Post. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  44. ↑ Virendrasingh Ghunawat (17 June 2015). "Charges and court cases against Lalit Modi in India". India Today.
  45. ↑ "The tale of the 16 ED notices to Lalit Modi". Rediff.
  46. ↑ "Mumbai police endorse Lalit Modi's life threat claim". 2 November 2014.
  47. ↑ "Dawood wanted to kill Lalit Modi for not paying up: Mumbai Police". Hindustan Times. 19 June 2015.
  48. ↑ "Cairns awarded $950,000 for libel". nzherald.co.nz. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  49. ↑ "BCCI's Arun Jaitley panel had indicted Lalit Modi for favouring Adani". 19 June 2015.
  50. ↑ "The BCCI's charges against Lalit Modi". ESPN. 6 May 2014.
  51. ↑ "Ex-IPL chief Modi handed life ban". BBC News. 25 September 2013.
  52. ↑ Davies, Will (6 May 2014). "Lalit Modi elected as RCA president". Wall Street Journal. cricket20. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  53. ↑ Srivastava, Suyash (25 March 2014). "Have evidence to prove Champions League T20 witnessed match-fixing: Lalit Modi". Zee News. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  54. ↑ Saibal Bose (9 March 2015). "Lalit Modi removed from Rajasthan Cricket Association". The Times of India.
  55. ↑ NDTVSports.com. "Latest Sports News, Live Scores, Results Today's Sports Headlines Updates – NDTV Sports". NDTVSports.com.
  56. ↑ "'Modigate' snowballs, Rahul attacks PM : The Tribune India".
  57. ↑ "Raje left to fend for herself in Lalit Modi visa row". gulfnews.com. 18 June 2015.
  58. ↑ "Vasundhara Raje's Testimony May Have Helped Lalit Modi Extend Stay in UK". NDTV.com.
  59. ↑ "Transactions between Raje's son Dushyant and Lalit Modi under scanner". Hindustan Times. 20 June 2015.
  60. ↑ "Raje's shares in company a gift from her son: BJP : The Tribune India".
  61. ↑ "Raje's son got Rs 4-cr loan for hotel from Lalit: Cong : The Tribune India".
  62. ↑ "ED heat on former directors of Lalit Modi's hotel firm". 18 June 2015.
  63. ↑ "Ex-Supreme Court Judges Said Lalit Modi's Passport Was Wrongly Revoked". NDTV.com.
  64. ↑ "Modigate: clamour for SIT probe gets louder". @businessline. 17 June 2015.
  65. ↑ "How Modigate has transformed the Modi sarkar into UPA III". Rediff.
  66. ↑ "In conspiracy theory, Lalit Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi sees P Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor hand". 16 June 2015.
  67. ↑ "Lalit Modi's Interpole Connection". NDTV. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  68. ↑ "Lalit Modi Interpol Chief's Brother Had Real Estate Joint Venture". Indian Express. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  69. ↑ Is Lalit Modi a fugitive?, Indian Express
  70. ↑ Jain, Mehal (27 October 2020). "Supreme Court Stays Bombay High Court Order Allowing Lalit Modi's Request For Cross-Examination Of BCCI Officials Over FEMA Violation". www.livelaw.in. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  71. ↑ Atherton, Michael (9 April 2006). "Modi masterminds India's billion dollar bonanza". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  72. ↑ "Lalit Modi is the new chairman of Champions League – Thatscricket". Thatscricket.oneindia.in. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  73. ↑ "Best And Worst Sports Executives 2008". Time. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008.
  74. ↑ "Pitching once more for game and glamour". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2009. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  75. ↑ "Lalit Modi wins 'CNBC AWAAZ Consumer Awards 2008'". www.newstrackindia.com.
  76. ↑ "Most innovative business leader of India: Lalit Modi Video". Pakistan.tv. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  77. ↑ "Best in Growth, Innovation and Leadership recognised". Frost.com. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  78. ↑ "The Global 25". Businessweek. 30 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  79. ↑ Schwartz, Peter J. (27 August 2009). "The World's Hottest Sports League". Forbes.
  80. ↑ Majumdar, Shyamal (28 December 2009). "The game changers". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  81. ↑ "Sachin named most influential person in Indian sports". The Times of India . 9 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.