Cricket team manager of the Legend Cricket League 2024, Yoni Patel has been indicted on charges of match-fixing. Sri Lanka’s Attorney General has informed the court about it. Indian national Yoni is the owner of Kandy Samp Army, which is one of the seven teams in the Legend Cricket Trophy.
The charges were brought before the Colombo High Court which alleged that Patel had pressured a cricketer to engage in corrupt practices during the Legends Cricket Trophy, which included retired international stars. The tournament took place at Pallekele in the Central Hills in Sri Lanka.
The investigation was initiated following a complaint by Sri Lanka’s retired national cricketer who played for Patel’s team. Sri Lanka’s former white-ball captain and present Chairman of the Cricket Selection Committee Upal Tharanga raised concerns about match-fixing along with ex-New Zealand cricketer Neil Broom, who was part of the Punjab Royals team. The duo had complained that they were approached by two individuals who claimed themselves as the Kandy team owner and the Punjab Royal manager.
According to the initial investigations, it was revealed that alleged match-fixers had offered money to players to underperform and fix the results of the matches. Tharanga immediately reported the matter to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Sri Lanka Sports Ministry. While Broom complained to New Zealand Cricket and later to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
SIU investigation revealed that the Punjab Royals’ manager had instructed him to score less than 10 runs after facing more than 10 balls.
The Attorney General informed the indictment on April 22 when the legal team of Patel filed a motion to lift his travel restrictions before the Colombo Magistrate Court. Patel, who is currently on bail and a travelling band, was released on a surety bail of Sri Lankan Rs. 10 million but faced a 30-day travel restriction after the initial investigation. Later, it was extended for 90 more days which prohibits Patel and the manager of Punjab Royals, P. Akash, from leaving Sri Lanka till June 12. The Magistrate also directed the Controller of Immigration and Emigration about the travel ban to restrict the duo from leaving via an airport.
The Legend Cricket League 2024 featured seven teams of retired international cricketers from various countries. It was held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium from March 8 to March 19. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was not officially involved in the tournament but provided the venue for the championship.
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