After IPL 2025, star cricketer who played for Shah Rukh Khan's KKR indicted for match-fixing in T20 league, his name is…
Sachithra Senanayake played for KKR in IPL 2013 season. (Source: X)
Just days after the end of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, a top cricketer who played for Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has been indicted for match-fixing in a T20 league. The name of the cricketer is Sachithra Senanayake from Sri Lanka, who is the first to be prosecuted under a new law to end corruption in the sport in the country.
The 40-year-old former Sri Lanka and KKR off-spinner was indicted before the High Court in the southern city of Hambantota on match-fixing charges relating to the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in 2020. Senanayake is currently on bail after being arrested in September 2023 and denies the charges.
The Attorney General has filed an indictment before the Hambantota High Court against former cricketer Sachithra Senanayake, over alleged match-fixing during the 2020 Lanka Premier League:.- Hiru #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/XY3KgqaPfY
— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) June 5, 2025
Senanayake last played for Sri Lanka in 2016 and made 74 international appearances. He is accused of influencing two Lanka Premier League players to fix matches in 2020.
The off-spinner from Colombo played in 8 IPL matches back in 2013 season for KKR and claimed 9 wickets at an average of 23.22. Senanayake played under the captaincy of current Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir in that season. He played for a salary of Rs 3.3 crore for KKR back then.
Police said Senanayake is the first player to fall foul of a 2019 law that makes match-fixing a criminal offence. A conviction for the former cricketer could result in a maximum of 10 years in jail, a fine of up to 100 million rupees ($333,000) or both.
Former Sri Lanka sports minister Harin Fernando introduced the tough new law after saying the International Cricket Council (ICC) considered Sri Lanka one of the most corrupt cricketing nations. Another former sports minister from the country, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, told the Parliament in 2021 that match-fixing was rife in the country. Aluthgamage was jailed for 20 years in an unrelated corruption case.
According to local media reports, the former Lanka off-spinner had made the corrupt approach to another national player Tharindu Ratnayake, who was playing for Colombo Kings at that 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.
Senanayake played in 1 Test, 49 ODIs and 24 T20s for Sri Lanka. He claimed 53 wickets in ODI matches and 25 scalps in T20 games.
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