Galle Marvels Owner Prem Thakkur, a team in the Lanka T10 Super League has been arrested following match-fixing charges. Thakkur was arrested on the very next day after the tournament kick-started on December 11.
His arrest has come following a complaint lodged by a team-mate, an overseas player from the West Indies who had rejected his request to fix a match.
Prem Thakkur was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. The Galle Marvels owner has been remanded till December 16.
Sri Lanka police stated that Prem Thakkur had been arrested by the Sports Police Unit of Sri Lanka under the 2019 Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act.
The Galle Marvels owner was arrested at a hotel in Kandy. This year in the Lanka Premier League, an ICC anti-corruption representative was present and a representative of the ICC anti-corruption unit is present in Sri Lanka to oversee the Lanka T10 Super League upon the request made by Sri Lanka Cricket.
The director of Samantha Dodanwela, has confirmed that the tournament will go on as per schedule. This is not the first instance of a franchise owner being arrested in a tournament in Sri Lanka this year.
Dambulla Thunder’s co-owners Tamim Rahman was also arrested after being accused of match-fixing. Sri Lanka become the first nation in South Asia to criminalise match-fixing, with offences related to corruption in sports carrying various fines and a prison term of up to ten years.
The inaugural edition of the Lanka T10 Super League is set to be played between 11 December and 19 December 2024.
The Galle Marvels are at the top of the points table with four points from three matches. They will next two games against Hambantota Bangla Tigers and the Nuwara Eliya Kings were both washed out due to rain.
Their next match is against Jaffna Kings on December 14 at pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
