Key Takeaways
- Sri Lankan police arrested Manjot Kalra, an Indian co-owner of a T20 league team.
- The arrest was made hours before the tournament's opening match in Colombo.
- Kalra is accused of trying to bribe a player with 9.5 million rupees.
Sri Lankan authorities have arrested Manjot Kalra, an Indian co-owner of the Jaffna team in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), on suspicion of attempting to fix matches through bribery.
Kalra was apprehended at a hotel in Colombo just hours before the sixth edition of the T20 domestic tournament was set to begin. Inspector Supun Vidanage, from the Sports Investigation Unit, confirmed that Kalra had been caught 'about to pay' 9.5 million rupees ($28,700) to a player.
The suspect had initially approached a player about ten days earlier, who promptly alerted the police. This latest incident follows a series of corruption allegations that have marred the tournament's history.
In January, the British owner of Dambulla Thunders, Tamim Rahman, was convicted for match-fixing and handed a four-year suspended sentence along with a fine of 24 million rupees. The conviction came as part of a strict 2019 law aimed at preventing corruption in sports in Sri Lanka.
The LPL is set to kick off its tournament on Friday night, with the opening match between Jaffna and Galle. However, the arrest has cast a shadow over the event's prospects.
Kalra will be produced before a magistrate soon, according to Inspector Vidanage. The case highlights ongoing efforts by Sri Lankan authorities to maintain integrity in sports despite past controversies.
