‘Lalit Modi had threatened me to end my career’, former RCB star’s big revelation, said this

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler Praveen Kumar has revealed that Royal Challengers Bangalore was not his first choice in the first season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Praveen said that his reluctance to join that franchise had given him a strange reaction from Lalit Modi. During an interview, Praveen told that he wanted to join Delhi Daredevils as it was close to his hometown Meerut, but he got a paper signed by an RCB official which proved to be a contract. When Praveen approached Lalit to tell him about his choice, the IPL commissioner threatened to end his career.

He said, ‘I did not want to play for RCB because Bangalore was far away from my place. I didn’t know English and the food was not to my liking. Delhi is quite close to Meerut, which would allow me to visit my home occasionally. However, there was one person who made me sign a paper. I didn’t know it was a contract. I told him that I want to play for Delhi, not for Bangalore. Lalit Modi called me and threatened to end my career.

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler Praveen Kumar said that ball tampering used to be a common practice among players and said that Pakistani bowlers used to do it more than others to boost their reverse swing. Reverse swing emerged as a lethal weapon for fast bowlers in the 1990s and Pakistan’s fast bowlers were considered experts in it.

Praveen said that Pakistani players used to scratch the ball from one side to get reverse swing, but added that even after tampering, one needs skill to properly utilize reverse swing in one’s bowling. “Everyone does a little reverse swing,” he said. They (Pakistani bowlers) do a little better. That’s what I heard. Now cameras are installed everywhere. Before this everyone used to do this. Everyone also knows that Pakistanis used to scratch the bowling ball from one side, but you also need to know how to use that skill. If I scratch the ball and give it to someone, it will require skill to reverse swing it. We have to learn this.