UAE Lottery winner Anilkumar Bolla revisits AED 100m win in meeting with Brett Lee

Anilkumar Bolla, the winner of an AED 100 million prize with The UAE Lottery, met cricket legend Brett Lee in Abu Dhabi on 12 November 2026, one year after Bolla received the call confirming his win. Lee is The UAE Lottery’s Chief Celebrations Officer, a role that includes meeting and celebrating winners.

During the sit-down, Bolla recalled the initial moment he was told he had won and the time it took to accept the result. “I was just counting the zeros,” he told Lee, adding that he repeatedly asked The UAE Lottery representative whether the AED 100 million win was real and that it took more than a month to fully process it.

Bolla said his priorities over the past year have shifted toward family and long-term planning. He said construction will soon begin on a farmhouse on land he bought for his parents, which he described as an opportunity for his father to pursue organic farming. Bolla also said his parents have visited him in the UAE but prefer to remain based in India.

Looking ahead, Bolla said he has made property purchases in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and has explored potential investments, including AI start-ups in Abu Dhabi and an education start-up in India. “The best thing has been spending quality time with my family,” Bolla said. “This has been a great opportunity for me because it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to spend so much time with them.”

The meeting also marked a personal milestone for Bolla, who told Lee: “I never thought I’d get to meet you in person. I never dreamed that I would actually meet you face-to-face, so this is also a big thing for me.” The UAE Lottery said the meeting ended with Lee inviting Bolla to recreate his “chainsaw” celebration to mark the anniversary of the win.