4 min readJul 17, 2026 09:55 PM IST
The 2026 Lanka Premier League (LPL) was rocked by controversy hours before the start of the new season, with one of the owners of Jaffna Kings arrested by Sri Lanka’s Special Investigations Unit for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sport over alleged corruption.
In May 2026, Sports Commune, led by former India Under-19 World Cup winner Manjot Kalra and entrepreneur Mayank Goel, acquired the Jaffna Kings franchise. At that time, Lanka Premier League director Samantha Dodanwela said, “Sri Lanka Cricket welcomes Sports Commune as the new ownership group of Jaffna Kings for Lanka Premier League Season 6. Jaffna Kings has built a strong identity within the league, and we are pleased to see committed owners with a clear interest in cricket, youth engagement and sports development stepping into the franchise.”
Kalra, who scored a century in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup final, was later embroiled in an age-fraud controversy which limited his playing career to just three matches, all of which came in 2021.
According to reports emerging from Colombo, the Sri Lankan police made the arrest after a few players in the franchise that includes Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Avishka Fernando and Dunith Wellalage lodged a complaint.
Following the investigation, police arrested the owner from a hotel in Colombo. According to the Sri Lankan police, the owner is accused of attempting to induce a player with money.
After the news emerged of the arrest, Sri Lanka Cricket responded with a statement. “Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has taken note of the media reports relating to the reported arrest of the owner of the Jaffna Kings franchise by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports. SLC, together with the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026, will extend its fullest cooperation to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports should any assistance be sought in connection with any inquiry arising from the matter,” it said.
Similarly, IPG, which holds the commercial rights for the tournament, said all owners had undergone the requisite ownership approval process, including integrity and due diligence assessments conducted by the Anti-Corruption Unit of the SLC. “As the commercial rights holder of the Lanka Premier League, IPG fully supports Sri Lanka Cricket and the relevant authorities in ensuring that any investigation is conducted independently, fairly, and in accordance with due process. We will extend our full cooperation should any assistance be requested in connection with the matter. The integrity, transparency and credibility of the LPL remain of paramount importance. IPG supports and maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, unethical conduct, and any activity that may compromise the integrity of the tournament,” it said.
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This is also not the first instance of a franchise owner being arrested for anti-corruption under the new law. In 2024, Dambulla Thunders owner Tamim Rahman was convicted, and Galle Marvels co-owner Prem Thakkur was also jailed for approaching a player to fix a match. According to Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act, match-fixing, spot-fixing, and the failure to report corrupt approaches are criminalised.
LPL and Sri Lanka cricket has been hit by anti-corruption charges in the past, with the International Cricket Council keeping a close watch. The Indian Express understands that a couple of days earlier, SLC’s ACU wing, in a meeting with players of all teams, had warned about potential approaches to influence the matches.
