On the day the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League was due to begin, just hours before the opening match, news broke that a co-owner of one of the franchises had been arrested over an alleged match-fixing approach made to a player.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports carried out the arrest on Thursday night, highlighting Sri Lanka Cricket’s swift response to an alleged match-fixing approach.
It later emerged that the individual arrested was Manjot Kalra, a former India Under-19 player, who had been announced as a co-owner ahead of LPL 2026.
According to a source close to the developments, the player approached by Kalra reported the matter to SLC, following which action was taken.
The fact that SLC proceeded with the arrest even as preparations were under way for the grand opening ceremony of LPL 2026 on the same day underlined its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, misconduct and unethical practices, sending a clear message that it would not tolerate foul play by any stakeholder associated with the league.
LPL tournament director Samantha Dodanwela reiterated the same stance.
“Our intention is to have a very clean tournament. We stand by a zero-tolerance policy against these kinds of activities,” Dodanwela said in an exclusive conversation with RevSportz. “If we find anybody getting involved in any malpractice, there will be no mercy; they will be taken to task. We’ve categorically told the owners and players and have given them guidelines explaining how strict Sri Lankan sports law is. Under our sports law, we have the authority to arrest anybody involved in match-fixing or any kind of malpractice.”
This is not the first time SLC has shown that it will act decisively against corruption. The latest arrest adds to a growing list of high-profile crackdowns involving LPL franchise owners. In May 2024, Dambulla Thunders owner Tamim Rahman was intercepted at Colombo International Airport before eventually being convicted under the country’s anti-corruption laws. Just seven months later, Galle Marvels co-owner Prem Thakkur was sentenced to jail after making a direct match-fixing approach to a player.
The latest episode also serves as a reminder of what makes Sri Lanka unique in world cricket. It remains the only major cricketing nation with a comprehensive, state-backed Sports Law, empowering authorities to investigate and act against anyone linked to the league if allegations of corruption or misconduct arise.
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