Former Sri Lanka and Kolkata Knight Riders off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake has been indicted by the Hambantota High Court for attempting to lure a fellow player for match-fixing.

The charges arise from an incident during a series of matches held in Hambantota in November 2020, where Senanayake allegedly tried to influence or manipulate the outcome.

He is accused of making an offer to Tharindu Ratnayake, who had been selected to play for the Colombo Kings team, with the intention of preventing him from reporting the proposal to the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

The Attorney General’s Department said this becomes the first such indictment of a national level cricketer for match-fixing under the country’s recently-introduced anti-corruption law. He was arrested and released on bail in 2023.

The 40-year-old played one Test, 49 ODIs and 24 T20 Internationals for Sri Lanka between 2012 and 2016 for a combined haul of 78 wickets. He was a member of Sri Lanka’s 2014 T20 World Cup-winning squad.

According to local media, he made the corrupt approach to another national player Tharindu Ratnayake, who was playing for Colombo Kings at that time.

“Senanayake is also alleged to have contacted two other cricketers participating in the inaugural LPL in 2020 via telephone from Dubai, attempting to persuade them to engage in match-fixing," a report in the Sri Lankan ‘Daily Mirror’ stated.

He was also part of Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013 season of the IPL, representing them in 8 matches. Senanayake was also part of Sri Lanka’s 2014 T20 World Cup winning squad.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Sports, Cricket, IPL 2025, IPL Points Table, IPL Orange Cap, IPL Purple Cap and around the world.