Colombo, Sri Lanka – Prem Thakkur, the owner of the Galle Marvels team in the Lanka T10 cricket league, was arrested on Thursday in connection with match-fixing allegations. Thakkur, an Indian national, was taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Sports Police Unit at a hotel in Kandy, where the tournament is being held.
Sri Lanka has been proactive in tackling Match-Fixing
The arrest came after a foreign player reported a fixing approach allegedly made by Thakkur. Following his apprehension, Thakkur was presented before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Friday and has been remanded until December 16.
Thakkur’s arrest was carried out under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act 2019, which criminalizes match-fixing and imposes penalties of up to ten years in prison. This case marks the second arrest of a team owner in Sri Lankan franchise cricket this year, following the detention of Dambulla Thunders’ co-owner Tamim Rahman on similar charges during the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in May.
A representative of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, present at the request of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), is overseeing the tournament to ensure fair play. Despite the controversy, Lanka T10 tournament director Samantha Dodanwela confirmed that the league would proceed as planned.
The Lanka T10, Sri Lanka’s inaugural T10 franchise league, is being managed by a consortium including Innovative Production Group, T Ten Sports Management, and T Ten Global Sports, which also oversees several other T10 tournaments globally.
Sri Lanka has been proactive in tackling sports corruption, becoming the first South Asian country to criminalize match-fixing in 2019. While SLC has yet to comment on the matter, this incident has once again highlighted the challenges of maintaining integrity in the growing world of franchise cricket leagues.
As the tournament continues, all eyes will be on the organizers to ensure the event proceeds without further controversies.
