IPL 2025: Lalit Modi calls out 'clown' Sanjiv Goenka

After Lucknow Super Giants lost by eight wickets to Punjab Kings, cameras caught Goenka mid-rant, publicly confronting skipper Rishabh Pant like he was giving quarterly feedback in a corporate review meeting. The video instantly went viral. Cue the memes, flashbacks to his similar KL Rahul moment last season, and now — a serious call-out from the man who literally founded the IPL.

IPL 2025: Lalit Modi (L) calls out 'clown' Sanjiv Goenka (R) | Credit: X

Lalit Modi just took off the gloves and came for Sanjiv Goenka like it’s a full-blown IPL elimination round.

Lalit Modi, clearly unimpressed, reposted a thread of savage memes and commentary, slamming Goenka for his tone and treatment of players. He made it clear: this is not the vision he had when he started the IPL. In his words (well, in not-so-many polite ones), Goenka's behaviour is “completely unheard of” and he should be “reprimanded and fined” by the IPL governing council.

IPL 2025: Lalit Modi calls out 'clown' Sanjiv Goenka | Credit: X

The ultimate roast by Lalit Modi

And then came the ultimate roast — Modi straight up called Goenka a “clown” running around pretending to know better than seasoned cricketers. He even shaded the ownership structure, saying things might have been better if the team was owned by Harsh Goenka, whom he dubbed a “true cricket lover.” Oof.

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Modi’s fiery outburst reflects what a lot of fans have been feeling — that IPL is turning into a reality show, and not in a good way. The sight of a ₹27 crore signing like Rishabh Pant being publicly “performance reviewed” has not gone down well with the cricket community.

The drama escalates

Former India cricketer Madan Lal also stepped in, suggesting Goenka take these convos inside the dressing room, not out on the field where the cameras and crowd are watching. He reminded everyone that T20 is unpredictable, and players need space to breathe — and recover.

On and the memes? Well of course if Lalit Modi has slammed someone then it surely will trend on social media. CHeck how X users are reacting to the whole "Lalit Modi calls out Sanjiv Goenka" drama.

Lalit modi cooked Sanjeev Goenka badly on Instagram 🤣🤣

— #KohliComeBack (@LuckyyGautam18) April 4, 2025

Wtf 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/JSdtPvZZGL

— Parv 🚩 (@ParvCryEmoji) April 4, 2025

Amidst the backlash, a separate video did show Goenka trying to motivate the team post-match. But for most fans, the damage was done. Pant’s underwhelming stats — just 17 runs in three games — were already under scrutiny. But now, the focus has shifted from his bat to Goenka’s behaviour. Well, of course!