Lalit Modi angrily calls LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka a 'clown'; slams him for not giving him credit for IPL after valuation upswing

Lalit Modi was the one who conceptualized the Indian Premier League tournament.

Indian Premier League (IPL) creator and former chairman Lalit Modi has rained down a scathing attack on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka for not giving him credit for IPL amidst the recent valuation rise of the tournament.

The remarks come in the aftermath of blockbuster agreements involving two IPL franchises, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), both of which received billion-dollar values in recent transactions.

Following a weeks-long bidding war, Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone, Times of India Group, and Bolt Ventures acquired RCB for $1.78 billion. A US-based partnership managed by Kal Somani acquired Rajasthan Royals for USD 1.63 billion (approx. ₹15,290 crore).

Celebrating the surge, Goenka credited the IPL’s structural evolution, particularly its media rights model, giving credit to Jay Shah, but made no mention of Modi in his post.

“@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. 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,” Goenka wrote on X.

Lalit Modi was not happy with not receiving any mention by Goenka despite conceptualizing the Indian Premier League in 2008 and carving out the player auction model as well. He responded angrily, calling Goenka a "clown" and questioning his comprehension of the league's beginnings.

“Seriously this guy really has a memory loss of who conceived the model. That's ok. He just lives in his own world. We all know that @DrSanjivGoenka is a clown, 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,” Lalit wrote on X.

The IPL 2026 will begin on March 28 with RCB taking on SRH in Bengaluru in the tournament opener.

Only the first part of the schedule has been released by the BCCI thus far; the rest is anticipated after election-related formalities are finished.