The new season of IPL 2026 is about to start, but before that, preparations are going on for major changes in the first champion and newest champion teams of the league. The current owners of Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are going through the process of selling all or part of their stake in these franchises and no decision has been taken yet.

But amidst these discussions, a person has entered who has the oldest, most special and equally controversial relationship with this league. This person is none other than the one who started IPL and the first of all Commissioner Lalit Modi.

Claim submitted for Rajasthan Royals

It has been claimed in a report that Lalit Modi, who was away from IPL for the last one and a half decade, is now preparing to make a comeback and he is also trying to return to the league not as an official but as a franchise owner. The report of 'Khel Now' has claimed that the first champion of IPL Rajasthan Royals There are four contenders in the race to buy the company and one of them is Lalit Modi, who is presenting his claim along with an American businessman.

It has been told in the report that on March 16, there will be a meeting between the investment bank looking after the process of sale of Rajasthan Royals and the potential claimants, in which this matter will be discussed. At present there are four contenders in the race to buy the Royals and one of them is Modi and his American partners. According to this, the consortium of Modi Enterprises President Lalit Modi and American businessman Kal Somani has also been shortlisted.

Rajasthan Royals is being valued at at least 1.1 billion dollars.

IPL started but BCCI itself banned it

Now whether Lalit Modi and Kol Somani's bid is successful or not, it will become clear in the coming days. If Modi wins here, he will return to Indian cricket for the first time since 2013. In fact, Modi had played the biggest role in laying the foundation of IPL in 2008 and he was the first commissioner of the league. The idea of ​​auctioning players is also considered to be his.

He remained its commissioner till 2010 and Indian cricket changed.

But after this, the situation changed in 2011 after the entry of Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Especially controversies started regarding the purchase of Kochi, in which serious allegations were made against Lalit Modi and BCCI investigated against him. In the investigation by the BCCI committee, the allegations of irregularities and intimidation against Modi were found to be true, due to which the BCCI banned him for life in 2013. At the same time, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) started a money laundering investigation against him, but just before that, he escaped to London and has been there since then.