Former Sri Lanka and T20 World Cup 2014 winning player Sachithra Senanayake has reportedly been indicted for match-fixing. It is worth noting that he was indicted by the Hambantota High Court for attempting to lure a player for match-fixing in the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL).
The Department of Attorney General also took centre stage to state that Senanayake’s indictment is the first for match-fixing of a national-level cricketer under Sri Lanka’s new anti-corruption law. The former cricketer was arrested and released on bail in 2023.
It is interesting to note that according to the local media, Senanayake approached another national player in Tharindu Ratnayake, who was playing for Colombo Kings at the time. Notably, Senanayake represented Sri Lanka in 74 matches across formats. He played one Test match, 49 ODIs, and 24 T20Is throughout his career, where he took 78 wickets to his name. He was also a part of Sri Lanka’s exceptional 2014 T20 World Cup-winning campaign as well.
“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.
Furthermore, the 40-year-old has also represented three-time IPL (Indian Premier League) champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The former Sri Lanka cricketer represented Kolkata across eight IPL matches, where he managed to take nine wickets.
He was a part of the franchise in the IPL 2013, a year after the side won their first IPL title. Only playing eight games, Senanayake only played for a side for half of the matches that they played throughout the season. His performances did not prove to be enough for the side as they crashed out of the group stages, finishing in seventh place in the standings.