3 min readUpdated: Mar 26, 2026 07:45 PM IST
Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi called Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka clown in his social media post after Goenka posted about the growth of IPL following the sale of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.
RR was bought by Kal Somani-led consortium for 1.63 billion dollars while RCB became the most expensive franchise in IPL history after being acquired by a consortium comprising Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone, Times of India Group and Bolt Ventures for 1.78 billion dollars.
In his tweet, Goenka credited Jay Shah but didn’t mention Lalit Modi’s name who is largely considered the brain behind the league. Reacting to it, Modi didn’t mince his words and called Goenka a ‘clown’.
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 🤡
wish it was his brother @hvgoenka who owned the ipl franchise. He is a true cricket fan. Not this clown – who thinks… https://t.co/m8eBdAOHHX— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) March 26, 2026
“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 Jai hind. @IPL,” Lalit Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Goenka reached with a tweet where he praised the sale of both teams and credited the architecture of the league for these valuations.
“@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,” Goenka wrote on X. “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,” he added.
While Modi criticised Goenka for his comments, he has been in center of many controversies. He left India in 2010 in a haze of allegations related to tax evasion, money-laundering and proxy ownership linked to the money-minting IPL. The Enforcement Directorate had claimed that Lalit Modi manipulated the process of assigning broadcast rights of the IPL in 2009, reportedly in exchange for a kickback of over 125 crores.
