Cover story LALIT MODI His 10 Mistakes 1 Ran the IPL like a one-man show. 2 Antagonised the BCCI general body,whose support he may need to remain in control. 3 Made a series of tactical mistakes in RUN handling the Government.Took on Home Minister P.Chidambaram on inadequate security during IPL2. Embarrassed the Government 4 on the apparent boycott of Pakistan players by team franchisees in the run-up to IPL3. Targeted Shashi Tharoor on conflict OUT 5 of interest using an open forum like Twitter.Put himself and his extended As one of the world’s most powerful sports impresarios family’s interests in IPL firmly in the faces the ignominy of being booted out, his own story of public glare. delusion and hubris merges with the larger narrative of 6 Isolated himself further by an unholy alliance of cricket, politics and big business leaking email exchanges between him and other members of the IPL Governing Council. By Prabhu Chawla and S. Prasannarajan Believed he could organise the bids for n the merciless Indian summer, even is no denying the fact that it is born out of 7 the most audacious would pause for the dream of the 46-year-old Modi whose two new teams on the same principles a while before doing an Icarus. The faith in himself as a man who can never as the first bid,not realising that by fatal flaw of the Greek mythological lose the game, no matter whosoever is Season 3 everyone wanted a stake in Ihero was that he was too confident pitted against him, has already made the the IPL action. to realise the danger of flying so Indian Premier League (IPL) a brand close to the sun. As Lalit Modi, one of the worth more than $4 billion. In three Subjected the notoriously secretive world’s most powerful sports impresarios years, it has become the most sought- 8 BCCI and his biggest backers so far, who soared in the delusion of his own in- after platform of vanity fair, where cor- the team franchisees,to the ignominy fallibility, hurtles down to the inevitability porate grandees and Bollywood of income tax department searches. of infamy, his own story of power and superheroes and investment-savvy hubris merges with the larger narrative politicians jostle for space. Modi was its Was naïve enough to believe his of a national passion play that unites the creator, protector and even its jet-setting 9 shirtless and the pinstriped and the brand ambassador, and he played the alliances with powerful politicians khadi-clad. In his final hours as the parts with less flair but with would insulate him from questioning, choreographer of India’s biggest sporting abundant flamboyance. He loved it. The though his dealings often smacked spectacle, Modi has become a synonym richest and the beautiful swarmed his of cronyism. for the unholy alliance of cricket, politics durbar, and he himself was, miracu- and business in which everything— lously, getting richer—and more arro- Used the media to talk up his own honour, morality and transparency— gant. In the end, as most autocrats drunk 10 personality cult as much as the IPL, seems negotiable. Today, it is as if his on power do, he took leave from the allowing the glitz,gossip and sensational success, worth a few billions, world of accountability and transparency after-party gatherings to become provides the first draft of his obituary. and withdrew himself into the make more symbolic of the property than The name of that success is spelt as believe of immortality. As controversies the actual cricket. IPL, cricket’s biggest show on earth. There swirled around him over financial BHASKAR PAUL/www.indiatodayimages.com Cover story LALIT MODI irregularities and him influencing the INTERVIEW Sharad Pawar bidding process, he shrugged—or tweeted—off the allegations as if the laws of the land and public scrutiny “Lalit Modi often invites trou ble for himself” were such banalities meant only for lesser mortals. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad about you and your colleague someone has done wrong, he or she The last auction for the IPL fran- Pawar spoke with Managing Editor Praful Patel… should not be spared, and punished. MANOHAR, chises in Kochi and Pune set the stage SHANKKAR AIYAR. Unruffled by the scan- A. Absolute rubbish. I can say this But now there is a tendency to hold trial MODI AND for the unmaking of the Modi myth. In dal, the ICC president-elect played with categorically that it’s not true. Praful’s by the media and some are pronounc- FORMER BCCI 140 characters—ah, the curse of the a straight bat to dismiss the allegations daughter is working with the IPL, noth- ing judgements before the investigation SECRETARY tweet—he put an end to the career of as worse than frivolous. ing more. And nobody from my family process is completed. NIRANJAN SHAH DURING his one-time buddy Shashi Tharoor, an is involved financially with cricket. Q. What is your role in Indian A PRACTICE amateur in the political whirl of Delhi. Q. The IPL, a glamorous success Q. There is speculation about cricket? Are you captain, coach, SESSION Modi’s tweet about the sweat equity story, is now a scandal. Why? tapes of conversation between two mentor or selector? FOTOCORP of Tharoor’s lady friend in the Kochi A. There is no doubt that the IPL has ministers and Modi… A. I’m neither captain nor coach. franchise cost the minister of state for been a success, and a global success. It A. I do not pay attention to this kind One must not lose sight of constitutional volved in the broadcast rights, Multi Hawala Hunt external affairs his job. He had to go has provided cricketers income stabil- of rubbish. There is a probe going on; issues. As president-elect of the ICC,my Screen Media (MSM), formerly because questions were asked about ity and given new talent the opportunity let us wait. role is clear: it’s cricket promotion, but Sony Entertainment Television, uspecting use of offshore enti- ministerial propriety and trans- to play with the best. Yes, some allega- Q. But has there been any wrong- it can’t be country-specific or Board- International Management Group Sties, round-tripping and hawala, parency. As Tharoor went down, he tions are being made but I think dispro- doing or not? What do you feel? specific. As former BCCI president, I’m a and World Sports Group (WSG). With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has had his tormentor by his tie-end. What portionate publicity and attention is A. Government agencies are look- member of the Board but I’m a nobody. the carefully constructed conglomer- put all IPL entities under the scanner. was the meaning of Modi’s selective being given; some of the allegations are ing into the allegations and suspicions. In the IPL, I have never been anybody. ate of big money and super celebrity ED teams have spread across the leak? Why did he single out the Kochi not even worth calling frivolous. I think they should look into all the Q. What has triggered this fight— under siege, the pressure was on country to seek violations of the franchise, which was mentored by Q. There has been speculation charges and let all of India know. If money or personality? Friends and Relatives of Modi (the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Tharoor, a cricket buff, out of his love A. One has to credit Lalit Modi for FROMmies) to recant. The bids for Sources said the IPL was under watch for his home state? The Government creating a product that has been so suc- Teams 1-8 are now being scrutinised. for over six months with strong indi- was ready to sacrifice one of its bright- cessful. He has worked hard and taken I-T officials went to the offices of Shah cations of round-tripping of money, est stars but would not let Modi, who in it as a personal mission. He says he Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders that is funds parked abroad illegally turn was mentored by the mighty wants to show that India can. But and sports management group brought back. Funds seemed to have Sharad Pawar, a UPA ally, go scot free. sometimes his style comes in the way. Gameplan in Kolkata, the office of flowed from tax havens like Mauritius Was Kochi the only stain on the IPL? He is aggressive by nature and often Chennai Super Kings in Chennai, the and the Cayman Islands in case of at With Finance Minister Pranab invites trouble for himself. Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures least four IPL teams, part of which Mukherjee’s announcement in Q. Is this another innings in the in Secunderabad as well as the Kings may have originated in India. Parliament that the Government would NCP-Congress rivalry? XI office in Gurgaon. A strong case is believed to be probe every aspect of the IPL scam, the A. Not at all. Where is the question Suddenly, Modi, the wunderkind of building against shareholders of game was turning politically volatile. of any such thing? Neither me nor Praful the cricketing establishment, has be- Rajasthan Royals—including relatives And cracks were appearing on the nor Sangma are involved in the IPL. come its worst news. Floating in the fan- of IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi— fortresses of the Modi empire. His po- Q. What have you advised BCCI tasy of eternal immunity, he obviously where money had come in from litical benefactors, including the Grand President Shashank Manohar? didn’t see it coming.