Former Sri Lanka spinner who was part of Shah Rukh Khan's KKR charged with match-fixing in LPL 2020

Former Sri Lankan off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake has been indicted by the Hambantota High Court for allegedly attempting to entice a fellow player into match-fixing during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL). The Attorney General's Department has confirmed that this marks the first indictment of a national-level cricketer for match-fixing under the country’s recently enacted anti-corruption legislation. Senanayake was arrested and subsequently released on bail in 2023.

At 40 years old, Senanayake has a decent cricketing background, having played one Test match, 49 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 24 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for Sri Lanka between 2012 and 2016, during which he took a total of 78 wickets. Notably, he was also a member of Sri Lanka's victorious squad in the 2014 T20 World Cup.

Local media reports indicate that Senanayake made a corrupt approach to fellow national player Tharindu Ratnayake, who was representing the Colombo Kings at the time.

"Senanayake is also alleged to have contacted two other cricketers participating in the inaugural LPL in 2020 via telephone from Dubai, attempting to persuade them to engage in match-fixing," a report in the Sri Lankan 'Daily Mirror' stated. 

Back in the day, the former KKR star firmly denied the allegations against him, but in August 2023, a three-month travel ban was slapped on him after the Attorney General directed the Sports Ministry's Special Investigation Unit to pursue criminal charges.

Sachithra also had a stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013, marking his only appearance in the lucrative league. Aside from the current match-fixing issues, Senanayake has had his fair share of controversies; the 40-year-old was previously in the spotlight in 2014 when he faced a ban from bowling due to an illegal action.

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