Lalit Modi claims he quit cricket over Dawood Ibrahim's threats, claims 'Satta Bazaar' doubles to $4 billion per game

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi has said that alleged death threats from underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim and his criminal network were a key factor in his decision to leave cricket administration permanently.

Speaking to ANI, Lalit said that his efforts to fight match-fixing during the early years of the IPL brought him into conflict with betting operations allegedly linked to D-Company. According to him, the syndicate operates a vast gambling network in which the betting odds are constantly changing during the game and change almost every time the ball is thrown.

Lalit described the alleged intimidation as one of the most significant reasons for his departure from the sport’s administrative environment, which he linked directly to his opposition to illegal betting and match-fixing.

“Dawood Ibrahim is a famous bookie. He controlled the cricket book. At that time it was $2 billion in underground betting. Today it is $4 billion in underground betting per game. It is huge. It is unimaginably huge. Every ball, there is a special chance. It is Satta Bazaar,” he said. Nobody fixes games anymore. You’re already fixing balls.

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Discussing the increasingly sophisticated nature of spot-fixing, Lalit said bookmakers no longer rely on obvious methods, making it difficult to detect such activities. He argued that subtle gestures and coded actions on the field, such as handling a handkerchief or performing a specific move, can allegedly serve as signals, and noted that investigators are closely monitoring players for such patterns and indicators.

Lalit Modi in function, meeting ‘Baba’

Lalit said his thorough vetting of suspicious activities and his refusal to compromise made him a target for organized crime groups. Reflecting on his tenure, he said, “If you look at the first three years I ran the IPL, there was no correction. I took a lot of people to task. And I threw a lot of people out of the stadium. I banned a lot of people. The mafia didn’t like that.” He further claimed that attempts were made to influence him through financial incentives, stating: “I was offered hundreds of millions of dollars to look the other way.”

Recounting the 2012 episode, Lalit described how the London fixer allegedly arranged a late-night rendezvous at a penthouse owned by a well-connected middleman known as Baba. According to Lalit, the middleman then used a satellite phone from the terrace to contact Dawood Ibrahim directly and put the call on speakerphone in an alleged attempt to coerce him into helping secure an IPL franchise for the syndicate.

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“I haven’t told anyone this story… They call me at 3:30 in the morning… He (the editor) says, “You have to come and meet this guy, Baba. And you have to come now.” I thought it might be something important. So I go to Baba’s house. There (Baba) says, ‘You have left India, we need an IPL team.’ I said I am not even in India. Why do you need an IPL team? Anyone who wants to go buy it from someone can go buy it. Moreover, I will not even return to India; there is a problem with Dawood. After which he said, ‘I’ll fix it in a minute’,” shared Lalit.

“The middleman then went out to his terrace, took out a satellite phone and allegedly dialed Dawood Ibrahim directly.” He goes to his terrace. He takes out his satellite phone and calls Dawood. Baba says, ‘Dawood bhai, Lalit bhai aaya hai. Baat karo.’ (Dawood Bhai, Lalit Bhai has come. Talk to him.) I said I am not talking. So he put the call on speaker. I said again, “I’m not talking.” And he (Dawood) simply says, ‘You are his friend, forget everything, it’s over’,” he added.

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The former IPL boss further claimed that his refusal to give in to the demands led to a sustained campaign of coercion and intimidation across multiple countries that eventually required the involvement of law enforcement agencies.

He claimed: “Bombay police recorded everything. It was gossip that came from Bombay police. Bombay police put me on Z-protection. I didn’t ask for it. Suddenly I had Z-protection. There was a shootout outside my house in Mumbai. I got hit in Johannesburg. And I’m in Cape Town where I got hit by the African government in Montenegro. which was picked up at the Croatian border. My the son was kidnapped in London on Sloane Street, right there… by a guy called Baba Avin He lived on Park Street.

Lalit claimed that tensions with the underworld had increased significantly after he managed to move the second season of the IPL to South Africa. According to him, the move disrupted large-scale betting operations that bet significant sums on the cancellation or failure of the tournament, leading to increased hostility from the syndicates involved.

“They accused me of moving the IPL to South Africa when they thought it wouldn’t move because they ate up the bets. So obviously they lost a lot of money. So they wanted me to make the money. I didn’t ask him to take the bet. I have nothing to do with it,” he recounted.

Lalit further claimed that the prolonged confrontation ended only after D-Company executive Chhota Shakeel publicly stated in a live interview that the syndicate had settled their differences with him. Explaining what he meant by the resolution, Lalit said it was his personal assurance that he would withdraw completely from cricket administration, which ultimately ended the dispute and, according to him, ensured his safety.

“He (Chhota Shakeel) said we have resolved issues with Lalit Modi… I have just said I will retire from cricket. I have given my word that I will retire. It is one of the biggest reasons. One of the biggest reasons. Why should I put myself under pressure from the media, pressure from the government and then life-threatening pressure?” Lalit stated.