Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has claimed that persistent, life-threatening intimidation from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his syndicate was one of the primary reasons he permanently walked away from cricket administration.
"I pissed in my pants, I'll tell you this. Without doubt. Right there and then," Lalit Modi told ANI, adding that he had British MI5 security stationed downstairs at the time.
In an explosive interview with news agency ANI, the founder of India’s multi-billion dollar T20 tournament detailed a series of alleged extortion attempts, assassination plots, and a dramatic late-night confrontation involving a satellite phone call directly to the fugitive gangster.
According to Lalit Modi, the illegal betting market connected to cricket has grown exponentially over the years.
He alleged that what was once a USD 2-billion operation has now transformed into a USD 4-billion-per-match betting industry, with wagers being placed on almost every aspect of a cricket match.
Modi claimed that modern betting syndicates no longer focus solely on fixing match results.
Instead, they increasingly rely on sophisticated spot-fixing operations, where individual deliveries, overs, player actions or specific events on the field become the subject of betting activity.
He alleged that bookmakers often depend on subtle signals, gestures or pre-arranged actions communicated through intermediaries, making such activities extremely difficult for authorities to detect.
“The game has changed completely. Today, betting is not necessarily about who wins or loses. Every ball can become a betting market,” Modi suggested.
Match fixing in cricket occurs when an outcome or a specific event within a match is pre-determined or illegally manipulated, typically driven by underground betting syndicates and organized crime.
While fully rigging match results is rarer due to heavy scrutiny, "spot-fixing"—manipulating minor incidents, such as the number of runs scored in a specific over—is increasingly prevalent.
Lalit Modi, who currently resides in London following his departure from India in 2010 amidst financial and administrative investigations, stated that his refusal to facilitate illegal betting networks made him a primary target for the D-Company syndicate.
He said the most direct confrontation occurred in London in 2012. He claimed he was contacted at 3:30 am by a London-based fixer who pressured him into visiting a penthouse apartment belonging to a well-connected intermediary known as "Baba".
The former IPL commissioner said he adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards suspected bookmakers and fixers during his tenure at the helm of the IPL.
According to Modi, several individuals suspected of links with illegal betting operations were denied access to IPL venues and subjected to increased scrutiny.
He claimed these actions frequently put him at odds with powerful betting interests who had substantial financial stakes in cricket.
Modi further alleged that betting operators suffered significant financial losses when the second edition of the IPL was shifted to South Africa in 2009 due to security concerns surrounding India’s general elections.
According to him, several betting syndicates had heavily wagered against the possibility of the tournament being moved overseas and were caught off guard when the relocation was successfully executed.
The allegations once again bring attention to cricket’s long-standing struggle with betting and corruption scandals, including the 2000 match-fixing controversy and the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013.
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