Manjot Kalra arrest LPL: Shubman Gill’s ex-teammate arrested, U-19 World Cup hero caught doing ‘dirty acts’ in Sri Lanka

Colombo: The co-owner of Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise Jaffna Kings and a former India Under-19 cricketer were arrested by Sri Lanka’s sports anti-corruption investigation unit on Friday for trying to bribe a player. This arrest took place a few hours before the start of the sixth phase of the tournament.

The suspect in this is Manjot Kalra, who scored a century in the final of the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which led the team to win the match, was arrested by the Police Special Investigation Unit for the Prevention of Sports-related Crimes and later produced before a magistrate.

Kalra, 27, stepped into sports entrepreneurship by investing in the Jaffna Kings franchise earlier this year. According to Sri Lankan police, Kalra is accused of trying to influence a player by luring him money in connection with the tournament.

The arrest took place on Friday after the player informed the authorities after being contacted about 10 days ago, investigators said. Police said that Sri Lankan players Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Avishka Fernando and Dunith Velalage had filed the complaint. These three players play for Jaffna Kings franchise.

This arrest took place on the first day of LPL 2026 when Jaffna Kings team was playing a match against Galle Gallants. 24 matches will be played in this five-team tournament and it will end on August 8. There have been allegations of match fixing, bribery and corruption in LPL for some time.

Earlier this year, a Sri Lankan court sentenced the owner of another LPL franchise to four years in prison and also fined him after he admitted trying to recruit a player for betting activities. Sri Lanka Cricket said that the tournament will continue as per schedule without any interruption.