Trending 
Sri Lankan police have arrested the Indian co-owner of a Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise over allegations of attempting to bribe a player ahead of the start of this year’s T20 tournament.
The suspect, identified as Manjot Kalra, was arrested at a hotel in Colombo on Friday after investigators alleged he was about to pay a player 9.5 million Sri Lankan rupees (about $28,700), according to the Sports Investigation Unit.
Inspector Supun Vidanage said the player had reported the alleged bribery approach about 10 days earlier, prompting an investigation. Authorities did not disclose the player’s identity.
Kalra, who is a co-owner of the Jaffna franchise, is expected to be arraigned before a magistrate.
The sixth edition of the LPL is scheduled to begin on Friday evening in Colombo with a match between Jaffna and Galle.
The tournament has faced previous allegations of corruption. In January, a Sri Lankan court handed Bangladesh-born British businessman Tamim Rahman, owner of the Dambulla Thunders franchise, a four-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, after he admitted to attempting to influence a player and organising betting.
Rahman was also fined 24 million Sri Lankan rupees under the country’s 2019 anti-corruption law aimed at protecting the integrity of sport.
