Former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Lalit Modi has alleged that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor threatened him with a government raid if he continued to raise questions about his late wife, Sunanda Pushkar. The alleged incident occurred when Modi attempted to block the entry of the Kochi consortium into the IPL over what he described as a fraudulent equity structure involving Pushkar.
In an interview with ANI, Modi claimed that Tharoor called him and urged him not to ask about Sunanda Pushkar. According to Modi, Tharoor said, "Lalit, don't ask about Sunanda Pushkar. She is a good friend of mine. If you do, I'll have you raided in the morning." Modi responded by rejecting the warning and ending the call, saying he refused to sign the document or agreement in question.
Modi stated that the standoff peaked during a late-night meeting in Bengaluru, where he refused to sign the official franchise agreement until the identities of the shadow shareholders were made public. He claimed he had no idea who Sunanda Pushkar was and asked the consortium members about her. One member described her as an automobile dealer's child and a famous marketing person, but Modi insisted he did not recognize her.
According to Modi, the conflict began because he refused to overlook a highly skewed financial model presented by the Kochi consortium. The group secured the expansion team with a massive $350 million bid, but structurally, the math pointed to a potential financial collapse. Modi recalled asking consortium members, "All the shareholders were there except for the lady, Sunanda Pushkar. You're giving away 25% shares to a lady called Sunanda Pushkar. Who is she? You're giving up 15% of the revenue. Who is she?" He questioned how someone could pay $350 million for a consortium where 75% of the shareholders were paying 100% of the cost, while someone else received 25% free equity.
Modi further alleged that for Pushkar's 10-rupee share, on the day the team was awarded, it was worth 1 lakh rupees, while the other shareholders' 10-rupee shares were worth 1 paisa. He stated he knew the arrangement would collapse, and indeed, two years later, it did.
Modi also claimed that he allowed Kochi into the IPL bidding despite Kerala lacking a stadium. He said Tharoor had "sucked up" to him at the time to get the deal done. "He'd come to my house. He was a smooth talker without doubt. I fell for it," Modi admitted.
The Kochi franchise was terminated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from the IPL in 2011. The Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL) and Rendezvous Sports World (RSW)-owned franchise competed in just one IPL season in 2011, finishing eighth out of ten teams. Tharoor resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs in 2010 following the controversy in April 2010.
