Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, in a recent interview, revealed that he did not leave India in 2010 due to his legal cases but owing to life-threatening pressure from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Lalit Modi made the claim in a recent episode of Raj Shamani's podcast 'Figuring Out'.

"I left the country when I got death threats," Modi said in the interview.

"Initially, there was no legal issue that forced me to leave the country. I got death threats from Dawood Ibrahim. Dawood Ibrahim was after me because he wanted to fix matches. I had a 'zero policy' on fixing matches. For me, the anti-corruption campaign was very important and I felt the integrity of the game was very important," he said.

Modi claimed that his bodyguard urged him to use the VIP exit at the airport to ensure his safety.

According to him, things got worse when he was informed by a senior police official that he was on a hitlist.

The police could guarantee his protection for only 12 hours, claimed the businessman.

Modi being on D-Company's hit list is well known.

A few years ago, Chhota Shakeel, Dawood's trusted lieutenant, revealed in an interview that a team of sharpshooters, following the underworld don's instructions, landed in Thailand's capital Bangkok where Modi was staying, NDTV reported.

Modi, who had first conceived the idea of an international standard domestic tournament like IPL, was the chairman and commissioner of the tournament in the first three editions from 2008-2010.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) banned Modi for life in 2013 on the charges of misconduct, indiscipline and financial irregularities.