In a significant development, former Sri Lankan cricketer Sachithra Senanayake was apprehended on September 6, 2023, on charges of match-fixing. Senanayake voluntarily surrendered himself to the Special Investigations Unit of the Sports Ministry earlier in the day.

This arrest comes in the wake of an overseas travel ban that had been imposed on Senanayake by the Colombo Magistrates Court on August 14, following instructions from the Attorney General’s Department. Substantial evidence had been gathered to substantiate the allegations of match-fixing, prompting the initiation of criminal charges against him.

The 38-year-old cricketer is accused of making phone calls from Dubai to two fellow cricketers participating in the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in 2020, encouraging them to engage in match-fixing activities during the tournament. The Lanka Premier League, which took place from November 27 to December 17, 2020, in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, is a significant event in the cricketing calendar.