Former Chairman Addresses Rampant Corruption in IPL

Following the conclusion of the high-profile 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which saw franchises fiercely competing to acquire top talent for eye-watering sums, a storm of controversy has erupted because of former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi.

Modi recently reignited discussions surrounding the darker side of the league, particularly the infamous spot-fixing saga that tarnished its early years.

Lalit Modi, in a bold revelation, accused N. Srinivasan, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and owner of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), of orchestrating a move that would see Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera dropped to accommodate English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

According to Modi, Srinivasan personally requested him to make this change, asserting that the decision was widely known within IPL circles. He said,

Pick out everything, auction rigging. I gave Flintoff to Srinivasan. No doubts about it; every team knew about it. Srinivasan wasn’t going to let the IPL happen. He was a thorn in our Board. Yes, we told everybody not to pick ‘Flintoff.’ Yes, that I did—because Srinivasan said he wanted it.

This latest controversy once again brings attention to one of the darkest chapters in IPL history—the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.

In the aftermath, CSK faced a two-year suspension, beginning in July 2015, following Srinivasan’s involvement in the betting scandal. Despite the setback, CSK made a triumphant return to the IPL in 2018, securing the title in their comeback season.

Lalit Modi also alleged that the CSK owner’s attempts to influence decisions extended beyond player selection and into umpire appointments, particularly favoring Chennai-based umpires for CSK’s games.

“Umpire fixing, he accused me of it, and I accused him right back. He would change the umpire. At first, I didn’t think much about it. But when I realized he was putting a Chennai umpire on a Chennai game, it became an issue for me. That’s called indirect fixing. When I started exposing those things, he went totally against me,” Modi said.

Despite the lingering shadow of past controversies, the IPL continues to dominate the global cricketing landscape, with its star-studded auctions and commercial success cementing its position as one of the world’s most lucrative sporting leagues.