Concerns over LPL 4 franchise ownerships
Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) expenditure during last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia on Thursday, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe highlighted the need to regulate franchise owners as well as sponsors of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
There have been concerns about sponsors backing the tournament as well as questions over the credibility of franchise owners.
The three-week-long tournament saw all teams advertise logos of gambling or online forex companies declared as illegal in Sri Lanka. Some of the betting and gambling companies involved in the LPL are Skyfair News, 1XBAT, 1XBook, Crickex.in, Kheloyar News, BABU88, Satsport, wolf777 and TigerEXCH while BFICOIN and MTFE are unauthourised forex trading platforms.
The Kandy franchise is held by B-Love Network, a Dubai based crypto-currency platform owned by businessman Omar Khan, popularly known as OK.
Speaking at the debate, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe declared that the B-Love Network is banned in Sri Lanka and questioned their involvement in the LPL tournament.
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has repeatedly warned the public against virtual currencies (VC), stating that it has not licensed or authorised any entity or companies to operate any schemes including VCs and crypto-currencies.
Aura Lanka Group was established in 2018, with its core business being Aura Herbal. It has a diversified range of business from herbal products to entertainment, gem business, security services and sports management. However, it remains unclear, how its owner, who claims to own a patent for a medicine, has acquired so much wealth within a short period of time.
The Sunday Times dig deep to find out more details about the owners and their interests.
| Colombo Strikers | |
 Sagar Khanna Owner: Sagar Khanna Skky Enterprise LLC Nassau County, New York, USA Colombo Stars underwent a change of ownership this season with New York based Sagar Khanna, the owner of the Skky Enterprise LLC in New York, taking over the ownership of the franchise. It was owned by Softlogic Group last season but it showed no interest this season due to the economic environment in Sri Lanka. According to public information, Sagar Khanna is a prominent name in the realm of hospitality as well as rental real estate in New York and its vicinity. As the owner of Skky Buy, a part of his company’s name was chosen to brand the ‘Strikers’, name of the Colombo team. He is the co-founder of the New York-based cricket tournament and one of the cofounders of the Skky Strikers. He also owns the New York Strikers in the Abu Dhabi T10. With scant other information available on his business dealings, The Sunday Times emailed Khanna requesting for a company profile but he had not responded at the time of going to print. |
Dambulla Aura
Viranjith Thambugala
Owner: Viranjith Thambugala, Aura Lanka Group of
companies.
Thambugala joined Lanka Premier League (LPL) during the third season by acquiring the Dambulla franchise. According to the Aura Lanka website, he is an indigenous medical doctor who practiced ‘Hela Wedakama’ passing down generations.
In a recent social media interview, however, Thambugala admitted that he is not a medical doctor or a holder of a Doctorate despite using the acronym ‘Dr’.. He said he was awarded the title from some professors in USA after he prescribed a medicine to cure Alzheimers. In the same interview, he claimed he had only studied up to Grade 5 and worked as a radio mechanic before venturing into miracle-healing and gem business.
In 2021, the then government approved a US$783 million aloe vera-based herbal medicine manufacturing project titled ‘Dry Zone Rural Economic Development Aloe Vera Project’ in the Anuradhapura District targeting exports. However, this project did not go through due to public protest.
| Galle Titans | |
 Nayana Wasalathilaka Auslink Transport Services Pty Ltd 50, Carbine Way Kellor Downs Vice 3038 Australia Nayana Wasalathilaka Galle Titans has a new owner this season. Nayana Wasalathilaka, a businessman from Australia who owns the Malibu Caravans Campbellfield, is the owner of the Galle Franchise. He is also the SJB’s chief organiser for Haputale. He has said that his main reason for joining the league is to promote Malibu Caravans in Sri Lanka and in India.
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Lyca’s Jaffna Kings
Allirajah Subaskaran
Owner: Allirajah Subaskaran,
BRI Sports Holding Ltd
2nd Floor, Walbrook Buildings
195, March Wall London, UK
Sri Lanka-born British businessman, Allirajah Subaskaran, was in the news in recent years for alleged corruption and tax evasion charges in the United Kingdom. But his investments both in India and Sri Lanka are diverse, ranging from producing multi-billion dollar South Indian films to financing sports and media.
Hailing from Northern
Sri Lanka, he migrated to the UK at a young age. Considering his attachment to his one-time home, he bought the Jaffna Stallions of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in 2021. Since then, the founder and chairman of the Lyca Group which, owns the Lyca Mobile, the world’s largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), and BRI Sports Holding Ltd has remained the owner of the franchise.
Subaskaran also took an equity stake in Ligue 2 side Paris FC, through an investment made through BRI Sports Holdings. He is the owner of Lyca’s Kovai Kings, a cricket team playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League in India. Lyca Mobile has been an official partner of English Premier League side West Ham United FC since 2012, including supporting the West Ham United Foundation on youth-focused initiatives.
| B-Love Kandy | |
 Omar Khan Innovation Factory Royal Investment Office: 1501-2, The Tower Plaza Hotel Trade Centre 1, Sh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE Muhammad Omar Khan Although Indian actor Sanjay Dutt announced on Twitter July 25, 2023, that he had joined hands with Omar Khan and H.H. Sheikh Marwan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to buy the Kandy franchise for the 2024 season, Khan maintains that he is the sole owner of the team that won the 2023 title. Khan is the owner of B-Love Network, a Dubai based crypto-currency business. B-Love Network is a smartphone app that allows users to stake BLV tokens, invite referrals, build teams and earn daily rewards. B-love Kandy, led by Wanindu Hasaranga, had the support of former Pakistan greats Wasim Akram and Javed Miandad as advisors. B-Love has sponsored the T20 cricket tournament between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Sharjah 2023 and also the official sponsor of the Pakistan Super League 8 phase. |