Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has made a series of startling claims about alleged threats from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his syndicate, saying fear for his life and the safety of his family ultimately pushed him away from cricket administration. Among the most dramatic revelations was an alleged phone call with Dawood Ibrahim that Modi says left him so terrified that, in his own words, “I pissed in my pants.” Speaking in a recent interview, Modi linked the alleged threats to his campaign against match-fixing and illegal betting operations, which he claimed put him in direct confrontation with powerful criminal interests connected to the cricket betting world.
According to Modi, the pressure from these alleged threats continued for years and included intimidation, attacks and even incidents involving members of his family. He claimed the situation became so serious that stepping away from cricket administration eventually became the only way to secure peace and safety.
#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
The alleged phone call that Lalit Modi says left him terrified
Describing an incident from 2012, Lalit Modi said he was introduced by a London-based fixer to a man known as “Baba,” who claimed he could help resolve Modi’s problems with Dawood Ibrahim. According to Modi, the meeting quickly took an unexpected turn.
As per reports, he alleged that Baba used a satellite phone and directly connected him to Dawood Ibrahim. Recalling the moment, Modi said, “I pissed in my pants.” The former IPL chief claimed he was deeply shaken by the encounter and believed the hostility from Dawood Ibrahim’s network was linked to the decision to shift the IPL to South Africa. According to Modi, betting syndicates had placed massive wagers assuming the tournament would remain in India, and the relocation caused substantial financial losses.
Clash with betting syndicates and claims of a multi-billion-dollar network
Speaking to ANI, Modi alleged that his efforts to keep the IPL free from corruption made him a target of illegal betting operators. He claimed that Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company controlled a vast underground betting system connected to cricket.
Modi said the betting world went way past match-fixing. He added that betting rings now target deliveries and even individual overs, giving crooks extra chances to rig outcomes. Furthermore, Modi stated the early IPL had an unlawful gambling market worth about $2 billion. Controlling these operations got tougher as the IPL ballooned in both size and fame.
Claims of attacks, security cover and threats to family members
According to reports, Lalit Modi also alleged that criminal networks suffered heavy financial setbacks when the IPL was moved to South Africa in 2009, making him a primary target. He claimed that intelligence inputs about threats from Dawood Ibrahim’s network prompted Mumbai Police to provide him with Z-category security.
The former IPL boss further alleged that shots were fired outside his Mumbai residence while he was in Cape Town. He also claimed he survived separate assassination attempts in Johannesburg and Montenegro. In another shocking allegation, Modi said his son was briefly kidnapped in London.
According to Modi, the threats linked to Dawood Ibrahim eventually became too serious to ignore. He maintained that he decided to walk away from cricket administration as part of an understanding that would bring an end to the threats against him and his family. However, all these allegations remain Lalit Modi’s personal claims. During the interview, no independent evidence was presented to verify the allegations involving Dawood Ibrahim, the alleged attacks, or the wider betting network claims.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
