Courtesy: Google
The team owner of Galle Marvels in the Lanka T10, Prem Thakkur, has been reportedly arrested on match-fixing allegations. Thakkur was detained on Thursday, one day after the competition began, and appeared before the Colombo Magistrate's Court on Friday, December 13 before being remanded till December 16. According to Sri Lanka Police, Thakkur, an Indian national, was arrested by the Sri Lanka Sports Police Unit under the 2019 Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act.
Prem Thakkur was caught at a hotel in Kandy, where the Lanka T10 competition is underway, according to the report from ESPNcricinfo. While SLC has yet to comment, Lanka T10 event director Samantha Dodanwela has affirmed that the tournament "will go ahead as scheduled". The Lanka T10 League 2024 season had just kicked off on December 11 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Even though the competition is in full stride, a significant controversy has put a stop to the excitement.
Sri Lanka's strict action against match-fixing
In 2019, Sri Lanka became the first South Asian country to criminalise match-fixing, with sports corruption offences punishable by penalties along with up to ten years in jail. According to reports, Indian-origin team owner Prem Thakkur was arrested after numerous players filed a complaint accusing him of extending match-fixing proposals. Thakkar co-owns Galle Marvels, one of six teams competing in the Lanka T10 League. The local Sri Lankan players and a foreign player from the West Indies rejected his fixing offer and filed a complaint with the anti-fixing section.
This is the second franchise tournament in Sri Lanka this year in which a team owner has been detained under the country's sports anti-corruption code, following the arrest of LPL franchise Dambulla Thunders co-owner Tamim Rahman in May on match-fixing charges. Earlier this year, the ICC prohibited Sri Lanka spinner Praveen Jayawickrama from all forms of cricket for a year, with six months suspended. The ban followed his admission of breaking the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The 25-year-old failed to report an approach during a match that was allegedly manipulated, delaying the ICC's investigation.
