Lalit Modi, the inaugural chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), created a buzz on social media on Thursday by announcing that he has “found love again.” On Valentine’s Day 2025, he introduced his new partner, Rima Bouri.
Sharing multiple pictures on Instagram, Lalit revealed that his long-standing 25-year friendship with Rima had blossomed into love. Expressing his joy, the 61-year-old wrote, “Lucky once – yes. But I got lucky TWICE. When a 25-year friendship turns to LOVE. It happened twice. Hope it does for you all too. #HappyValentinesDay to you all.”
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Rima also commented on the post, saying: “Love you more”.
“My forever love,” Lalit Modi replied to her comment.
As per her LinkedIn profile, Rima is an independent consultant from Lebanon with a background in marketing. Lalit Modi previously dated Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen for a short period and had even referred to her as his “better half” in a 2022 Instagram post.
Modi Clarifies ‘Better Half’ Remark, Says He’s Dating but Not Married
Modi’s reference to a “better half” sparked speculation, prompting him to clarify in a tweet: “Just for clarity. Not married – just dating each other. That too, it will happen one day.” Previously, Lalit Modi was married to Minal Sangrani for 27 years before she passed away in 2018 after a battle with cancer. The couple had two children, Aliya and Ruchir.
Modi left India in 2010 amid investigations into tax evasion and money laundering and has lived in London since. In 2013, the Indian cricket board imposed a lifetime ban on him after finding him guilty. Last year, he made serious allegations against former cricket administrator N. Srinivasan and his co-owned IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
In a recent interview, Lalit Modi alleged that the IPL governing body engaged in “bid rigging” during the auction for the second edition to ensure Andrew Flintoff joined Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He claimed this was done to fulfill N. Srinivasan’s wishes. Additionally, Modi accused Srinivasan and CSK of “indirect fixing.”
“Pick out everything-auction rigging. I gave Flintoff to Srinivasan. Yes, we did it. No doubts about it; every team knew about it. Srinivasan wasn’t going to let the IPL happen.”
”He was a thorn in our Board. Yes, we told everybody not to pick (Andrew) Flintoff. Yes, that I did-because Srinivasan said ‘I want Flintoff’,” Lalit Modi mentioned,” said Lalit Modi on Raj Shamani’s YouTube podcast.
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