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Lalit Modi has claimed that threats from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his syndicate were a major reason for his exit from IPL administration. He said his strict anti–match-fixing stance disrupted illegal betting networks, leading to intimidation, bribe offers, and alleged life threats across multiple countries, ultimately forcing him to step away from cricket administration.

London: In a sensational disclosure, former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi revealed for the first time that alleged life-threatening intimidation from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his crime syndicate was one of the single biggest reasons behind his decision to permanently retire from cricket administration.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Lalit detailed how his unyielding stance against match-fixing during the initial years of the IPL directly collided with the multi-billion-dollar underground betting empire controlled by the D-Company. He asserted that the syndicate operates an unimaginably vast "Satta Bazaar" where odds change with every single ball.

"Dawood Ibrahim is a known bookmaker. He controlled the cricket book. In those days, it used to be $2 billion of underground betting. Today, it's $4 billion of underground betting a game. It's huge. It's unimaginably huge. Every ball, there's an odd chance. It's the Satta Bazaar. Nobody fixes games anymore. You fix overs. You fix the ball," Lalit revealed.

Explaining the sophisticated spot-fixing methods where bookies target individual balls or specific overs through covert on-field signals, Lalit added, "We don't know what success is. It's become so sophisticated. Somebody takes out a handkerchief, somebody rubs something the other way, and it's a sign. Okay, we watch for these signs. We look for these signs."