Manjot Kalra arrested in Sri Lanka over LPL player bribery allegation

Colombo,UPDATED: Jul 17, 2026 19:08 IST

Former India Under-19 cricketer Manjot Kalra, now a co-owner of the Lanka Premier League franchise Jaffna Kings, was arrested in Sri Lanka on Friday over allegations of attempting to bribe a player, police said. The arrest came hours before the sixth edition of the tournament began.

Kalra, 27, was arrested by the Police Special Investigation Unit for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports and produced before a magistrate, who remanded him till July 31. An associate of Kalra, Yuvraj Pushpa, an Indian national, was also arrested in connection with the case on Friday and remanded after being produced before a court.

Kalra is remembered for his match-winning century in the final of the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup and had moved into sports entrepreneurship. He invested in the Jaffna Kings franchise earlier this year. According to Sri Lankan police, he is accused of trying to induce a player with money in connection with the tournament.

Investigators said the player alerted the authorities after being approached around 10 days earlier, which led to the arrest. The court was told on Friday that the complaint was lodged by Sri Lankan players Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Avishka Fernando, Dunith Wellalage and two others.

The arrest came on the opening day of LPL 2026, with Jaffna Kings set to play Galle Gallants at the SSC Grounds in Colombo. The five-team tournament has 24 matches and is scheduled to end on August 8.

The LPL has been under scrutiny for allegations of match-fixing, bribery and corruption for some time. Earlier this year, a Sri Lankan court gave a four-year suspended prison sentence to the owner of another LPL franchise after he admitted to trying to influence a player and organise betting activities under the country's anti-corruption law. He was also fined 24 million Sri Lankan rupees.

In a statement, Sri Lanka Cricket said it had taken note of the reported arrest on Friday and would extend its full cooperation to the Special Investigations Unit for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports if any assistance was sought in connection with the inquiry. The board also said the tournament would continue as scheduled without interruption, while reiterating its "zero-tolerance" approach to corruption and unethical practices and its commitment to protecting the integrity of the league.

In sum, the case has cast a shadow over the start of the LPL, with Kalra and his associate remanded as investigators examine allegations of an attempt to bribe a player, while the tournament continues as planned.

With PTI Inputs

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