Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi has revealed that former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was an early believer in his vision for a cricket tournament on the scale of the IPL. In an exclusive interview with ANI in London, Modi stated that Raje had witnessed his work in cricket and supported his ambitions from the very beginning.
Friendship Before Politics
Modi emphasized that their relationship predated her tenure as chief minister. "It was Vasundhara Raje. She believed in my vision from very beginning. We were friends. Before she became Chief Minister...she was a young girl. And all the Modi family went to Scindia school. Her mother and my grandmother were very good friends. We were good friends from a long time...before even I got married. She knew what I had done with cricket, I had done with sports, what I had done with Modi Entertainment Network. We were friends," he said.
Passion for Cricket Turned Business
Modi explained that cricket became his passion only after it became a business for him during his tenure at ESPN. When the Murdoch family took over ESPN, he said, cricket turned into an agenda. "Cricket was never my passion. It became a passion of mine after it became a business for me in the ESPN. And then when Murdoch took it away, it became an agenda for me," he added.
When asked if Raje ever warned him about potential adversaries, Modi clarified that he was unaware of any opposition until he left India. He noted that the product he created has received widespread appreciation globally. "Didn't know anybody was going after me till I left India. Even when I left India, nobody went after me. It was only before the Shashi Tharoor that people went after me for other reasons. But they didn't go after me for what I created. People to this day appreciate what I did anyway. So there is nobody who has actually gone after me for the product. The product that I created is actually satisfying and gratifying and entertaining for the world," he said.
IPL's Impact on BCCI Revenue
Modi highlighted the IPL's immense contribution to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He stated that the IPL has transformed from accounting for just 1% of BCCI's revenue at its inception to 90% today, with projections reaching 95% in three years. "Without doubt. And that is why everybody wants to get into it. BCCI had no cost, only money. When IPL started, IPL was 1% of BCCI revenue. Today we are 90%, three years from now we will be 95%," he said.
The IPL, launched in 2008, revolutionized franchise cricket and is now one of the most commercially successful sporting leagues worldwide. Modi also noted that the current generation identifies more with the IPL than with traditional Test cricket.
Legal Challenges and Legacy
Modi has faced a money laundering investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and was banned for life by the BCCI in 2013 for "indiscipline and misconduct." He maintains that he has done no wrong. He served as the founder, first chairman, and league commissioner of the IPL from 2008 to 2010, and held various other positions in cricket administration.
