The original architect and inaugural chairman of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, has launched a fierce verbal attack against Sanjiv Goenka. This confrontation arose after the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants appeared to overlook Modi’s influence regarding the league’s massive increase in market value. In a sharp rebuttal, Modi questioned Goenka’s recollection of the league’s start and labeled him a “clown.”
This dispute was triggered by recent landmark acquisitions of two IPL teams, the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, both of which reached billion dollar valuations. RCB was purchased for $1.78 billion by a group including the Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group, Blackstone, and Bolt Ventures. Similarly, a US based group led by Kal Somani acquired the Rajasthan Royals for approximately $1.63 billion, or roughly ₹15,290 crore.
Goenka Hails IPL, Ignore Modi
Sanjiv Goenka acknowledged these financial milestones by praising the structural development of the IPL, particularly its media rights strategy, but he did not mention Modi. Posting on X, Goenka noted:
“@rajasthanroyals, acquired for roughly ₹270 crore in 2008, have just been sold for over ₹15,000 crore. @RCBTweets, acquired for roughly ₹485 crore, sold for over ₹16,600 crore. Two franchises, same week, each over ₹15,000 crore.”
He further commented:
“That value was built by the architecture of the IPL. The way broadcast and digital rights were structured. The governance that gave brands confidence to invest at premium levels. Much of this traces back to the vision of @JayShah.”
Lalit Reacts
Lalit Modi, who developed and started the IPL in 2008, took great offense at being ignored. He responded by mocking Goenka’s knowledge of the league’s history. Modi wrote on X:
“Seriously this guy really has a memory loss of who conceived the model. Thats ok. He just lives in his own world. We all know that @DrSanjivGoenka is a clown (emoji) wish it was his brother @hvgoenka who owned the ipl franchise. He is a true cricket fan. Not this clown who thinks his tweet will change history. Just proves he has zero knowledge. Just swelled up head.”
At this time, Goenka has not offered a public reply to these comments.
Lucknow Super Giants Squad
Rishabh Pant (C), Abdul Samad, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Himmat Singh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Manimaran Siddharth, Arjun Tendulkar, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav
Unavailable: Josh Inglis (To miss the first phase)
In Rehab: Wanindu Hasaranga (Awaiting NOC)
