Jaffna Kings owner arrested in Colombo over an alleged attempt to bribe a Lanka Premier League player.
Sri Lanka Police arrested Jaffna Kings owner Manjot Kalra in Colombo on Friday over an alleged attempt to bribe a Lanka Premier League player shortly before the tournament’s opening match.
Police detained the Indian co-owner at a Colombo hotel while he was allegedly “about to pay” the player Rs. 9.5 million, equivalent to about $28,700. Inspector Supun Vidanage of the Police Sports Investigation Unit disclosed the allegation.
Inspector Vidanage said officers would produce Kalra before a magistrate shortly.
The player reportedly alerted investigators around 10 days earlier after receiving the initial approach.
Jaffna Kings Owner Arrested Before LPL Opener
Kalra co-owns the Jaffna Kings franchise. The sixth Lanka Premier League season was due to begin on Friday night in Colombo, with Jaffna scheduled to face Galle in the opening fixture.
The arrest placed a fresh corruption controversy over the domestic Twenty20 competition. The tournament has faced repeated allegations involving improper approaches, illegal betting and match manipulation.
In January, a Sri Lankan court imposed a four-year prison term, suspended for five years, and a Rs. 24 million fine on British citizen Tamim Rahman. The Bangladesh-born former owner of the Dambulla Thunders franchise had pleaded guilty to match-fixing charges.
Rahman admitted that he attempted to influence a player and organised illegal betting. Authorities prosecuted him under Sri Lanka’s strict 2019 law designed to prevent corruption and related offences in sport.
From Under-19 Hero to Franchise Owner
Kalra first gained international attention as a left-handed opening batter during the 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
Playing under coach Rahul Dravid, he struck an unbeaten 101 from 102 balls against Australia in the final. His match-winning innings earned him the Man of the Match award and helped India secure its fourth Under-19 world title.
The Delhi Daredevils, now known as Delhi Capitals, signed him for 20 lakh rupees, approximately $31,000, at the 2018 Indian Premier League auction. The franchise retained him for 2019. However, he never appeared in an IPL match and was released before the 2020 season.
His career suffered a major setback in June 2019. Delhi Police filed charges alleging that his parents falsified birth documents to record his birth year as 1999 instead of 1998. Investigators alleged that the change allowed him to compete improperly in junior tournaments.
In January 2020, the Delhi and District Cricket Association suspended Kalra from the Ranji Trophy for one year. A newly appointed DDCA ombudsman overturned that suspension weeks later, but the controversy disrupted his playing career.
Kalra made his domestic List A debut for Delhi in March 2021. However, his competitive career later tapered off.
Manjot Kalra Moves Into Sports Business
After stepping away from regular competitive cricket, Kalra developed a profile as a digital creator. He hosted the sports podcast “Second Innings with Manjot Kalra” before moving into sports entrepreneurship.
In May 2026, Sri Lanka Cricket announced that Kalra and Indian entrepreneur Mayank Goel had acquired the Jaffna Kings franchise through their sports management company, Sports Commune.
The purchase positioned the former Under-19 World Cup winner as an owner ahead of the Lanka Premier League’s sixth season. His arrest now creates an immediate integrity challenge for the franchise and the tournament as police pursue the alleged player-bribery case.
