Patel pressured me to engage in fixing activities — Tharanga testifies
In a testimony at the Matale High Court this week, Upul Tharanga, the chairman of the cricket selectors, revealed that Akash Patel attempted to offer him an additional Rs. 1 million per match during the Legend Cricket League 2024.
Patel has been charged with match-fixing allegations following a complaint from Tharanga, who represented the Kandy Samp Army team. Tharanga alleged that Patel pressured him to participate in match-fixing activities.
Tharanga stated that after receiving the offer, he withdrew from the tournament, despite having signed an initial contract worth USD 20,000 to play for the team. He made these statements while giving evidence before Matale High Court judge Ravindra Premaratne, with Senior State Counsel Udara Karunaratne leading the inquiry.
In court, Tharanga detailed an encounter with Patel on March 14, 2024, during which Patel made the offer. When Tharanga questioned the motive, emphasising his commitment to playing with integrity, Patel responded, “You need to do something for the people on the other side”.
Tharanga pressed further, asking why he would need extra money if he was already satisfied with his contract, to which Patel directly mentioned match-fixing. Shocked by the proposal, Tharanga reported the offer to the team captain and subsequently to the anti-corruption manager at Sri Lanka Cricket. Following this, he chose to withdraw from the tournament. Thegitha Korale and Rienzie Arsecularatne represented Patel.
Meanwhile, during a magisterial inquiry against Yoni Patel held before the Colombo Magistrate on Monday, the State Counsel representing Sri Lanka’s Attorney General confirmed that an indictment for a criminal trial before the High Court had already been filed.
The tournament, featuring seven franchises owned by overseas business tycoons, was designed to rival the Legends championship known as the Road Safety Series in India, which has received official recognition from the Indian cricket board. While Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was not officially involved in the tournament, it did provide the venue for the matches.