Lalit Modi calls LSG Sanjiv Goenka ‘clown’ in explosive attack ahead of IPL 2026

Ahead of the most-anticipated tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the controversies have already started. The IPL 2026 will start on March 28, between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru. The tournament is set to start without an opening ceremony this time to honour the lost lives of the fans in the stampede that happened in the previous season. 

The tournament is yet to start, but there has been a controversy between Lalit Modi and Sanjiv Goenka on social media. The former IPL Chairman went on to call LSG owner, Goenka a 'clown' on Twitter, sparking debate between the fans. 

Lalit Modi’s strong remarks on LSG owner spark controversy

Lalit Modi took a jibe at the LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka for giving the credit to Jay Shah for creating the IPL tournament and for the success after RR and RCB were sold at a whopping amount. Modi went on to say that Goenka's brother would have been a better owner than him after seeing his tweet on social media. 

"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," wrote Lalit Modi.

Lalit Modi vs Sanjiv Goenka: full saga behind the feud

Sanjiv Goenka took to Twitter to write about the growth of IPL and the franchises, and went on to give credit to the former BCCI secretary. This sparked a controversy between Lalit Modi and Goenka. Modi went on to call the LSG owner a 'clown'. 

"@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," said Lalit Modi.

Fans react to the heated exchange on social media

Fans were quick to react as the heated exchange between Lalit Modi and Sanjiv Goenka took over social media. While some users backed Modi’s blunt remarks, some mentioned that Sanjiv Goenka shouldn't have given the credits to Jay Shah since he came in late into the picture.