Lalit Modi, the businessman who launched the Indian Premier League (IPL), has revealed that he has become a British citizen. The former IPL chairman, who has lived in London for an extended period, shared the news on social media after receiving citizenship following years of making the United Kingdom his primary residence.
Modi posted photographs from his naturalisation ceremony, which took place at a Town Hall in London on 15 September 2026. He chose to make the personal milestone public while speaking at the Oxford Union, describing the occasion as significant and private until that point. In his message, he expressed pride in his new status and noted that the United Kingdom has long served as his home, praising its people, institutions, traditions, and values. He characterised citizenship as both a privilege and a duty that he accepts with gratitude and a sense of belonging.
Modi also reflected on a life shaped by varied cultures and experiences, stating that he intends to continue making positive contributions to the country he now formally calls home.
He thanked family, friends, and the Oxford Union for the platform, and closed by linking the announcement to the 78th birthday of King Charles III on 14 November, ending with the traditional “God Save the King.”
The announcement comes against a backdrop of long-running legal and administrative matters in India. Lalit Modi left the country in May 2010 after the Board of Control for Cricket in India suspended him amid allegations of financial irregularities connected to the IPL.
In 2015, a special court issued a non-bailable warrant after he did not respond to summonses from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering investigation. Separately, an appellate tribunal in July 2026 overturned a penalty imposed on him in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case linked to the IPL’s 2009 season held in South Africa.
Modi has consistently rejected the label of “fugitive,” pointing out that he has never been convicted of any criminal offence. His acquisition of British citizenship formalises a residence that has already lasted many years and marks what he has described as the start of a new chapter.