Lalit Modi
Lalit Kumar Modi is an Indian born Vanuatuan businessman and former cricket administrator. He was the founder, first chairman and league commissioner of the Indian Premier League, 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.
As a close associate of the Bharatiya Janata Party 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 launched an investigation against him for alleged financial irregularities, he fled to London and was labeled a fugitive.
Early life and education
Lalit Kumar Modi born in Delhi on 29 November 1963, into one of India's leading business families, 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. 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.Modi joined Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, in 1971. His family later moved him to St Joseph's College, Nainital, because of a kidnapping threat. In 1980, he was expelled from St. Joseph's for truancy, having left school to watch a movie.
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. 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. 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. 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. Modi's return to India was facilitated by some of his father's businessmen friends, including Leonard Lauder. 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."
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.
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. 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. On 10 December 2018, Minal died of cancer.In July 2022, he announced that he is dating former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. They broke up on 14 February 2025.
Early business career
In 1993, Modi established Modi Entertainment Networks, 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. 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. 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. Most of Modi's businesses in Mumbai were not profitable, and he lived on a maintenance allowance from his father's company.Later, Modi became the President and managing director of Modi Enterprises, an industrial conglomerate run by his family.
In 2002, Modi launched an online lottery business in Kerala called Sixo.
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. 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. In 2004, Modi was elected as the vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Association, under the President Inderjit Singh Bindra. He retained this position in the 2008 elections.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.After his failed stint in Himachal Pradesh, Modi decided to gain control of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, 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.
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. As a result, Modi was elected as the President of RCA, defeating the incumbent Kishore Rungta by just 1 vote.
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. 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.
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. Subsequently, Modi was appointed vice-president of the BCCI.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.
Indian Premier League
In 2008, Lalit Modi was instrumental in launching the Indian Premier League, 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. 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 and Bernie Ecclestone.Modi's family and friends also profited from IPL. Suresh Chellaram, his brother-in-law, 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. 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.