Lalit Modi challenges IPL players to do Diego Maradona impression, promises limited edition Rolex watch

Lalit Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has proposed the idea of gifting a limited edition Rolex watch to any IPL player who is caught on camera delivering a top performance or dancing to an iconic song.

Lalit Modi was replying to a post on "X", which mentioned Argentine football legend Diego Maradona's viral warm-up video back in 1989.

Maradona, playing for Italian club Napoli, was seen warming up to the tune of Live is Life by pop group Opus, ahead of his team's UEFA Cup semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich in 1989.

“Has to be an IPL team player on the sidelines doing his rhythm to the tune playing in stadia at that time you can be competing with @hardikpandya7 watch collection. Promise the watch will be an envy of others. And I always keep my promises ask @YUVSTRONG12," he wrote. He was referring to the promise that he made to Yuvraj Singh. Lalit Modi gifted Yuvraj Singh with a luxurious car for hitting six sixes against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup.

"Go for it @IPL players. Lets see the fans or cameras catch this," Lalit Modi encouraged the IPL players yet again, in a separate post on Monday evening. Lalit Modi was the IPL chairman from 2008 to 2010.

In April 2010, the now 62-year-old was suspended as IPL chairman due to alleged "individual misdemeanours" and financial irregularities. Following a detailed inquiry, Modi was expelled from the BCCI and banned for life in September 2013.

Despite Modi's suspension and ban, the IPL has gone on to become one of the biggest sports competitions in the world.

The IPL, which started as an eight-team affair, has undergone multiple revamps over the years and is currently being competed between 10 teams, with Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) joining the fray in 2022.