Former KKR player charged with match-fixing in LPL: Details here
What's the story
Former Sri Lankan and Kolkata Knight Riders cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been charged with match-fixing by the Hambantota High Court.
The charge stems from an incident during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL).
This is the first time a national-level cricketer has been indicted under Sri Lanka's new anti-corruption law.
The Attorney General's Department confirmed this historic indictment.
Match-fixing attempts
Details of the alleged incident
According to local media, the charges against Senanayake include trying to convince another national player, Tharindu Ratnayake, into match-fixing. At the time of the alleged incident, Ratnayake was playing for Colombo Kings.
Further reports also suggest that Senanayake tried to persuade two other cricketers participating in the inaugural LPL in 2020 from Dubai via phone calls.
Background
Senanayake's international career
Senanayake was arrested back in 2023 and later released on bail.
He had a short but impactful international career from 2012 to 2016, playing one Test, 49 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for Sri Lanka.
He took a total of 78 wickets during his stint with the national team.
Notably, he was also part of Sri Lanka's victorious squad in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
He also represented KKR in IPL 2013, claiming nine wickets across eight games.