Jaffna Kings face elimination in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026. He has been banned from participating in the upcoming edition of the tournament due to the match-fixing scandal involving former India U19 opener and franchise co-owner Manjot Kalra. The participation rights have been terminated by Sri Lanka Cricket and Innovative Production Group on Thursday.
Jaffna Kings co-owner Manjot Kalra was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police for alleged match-fixing approaches to a player. The former India Under-19 World Cup winner was arrested on charges of trying to influence a player to manipulate matches after he was taken into custody by Sri Lankan police while trying to pay Rs 9.5 million (approximately US$28,700) to a player.
Why was Manjot Kalra arrested?
A government-appointed special unit arrested the co-owner of Jaffna Kings after it was claimed that he had contacted them 10 days earlier, triggering the interrogation and arrest. Kalra is expected to appear before the Colombo Magistrate Court and has been remanded by the Colombo Magistrate Court till July 31.
Kalra was appointed as the co-owner of the franchise ahead of LPL 2026. But this is a big blow for the franchise and the former cricketer, as earlier also he was involved in an age-fraud controversy, due to which he was out of cricket for months and his talented career came to an abrupt end.
Why did the Jaffna Kings agreement end?
However, the franchise ended due to its inability to meet its financial commitments in the franchise agreement, as Kalra was arrested and the other owner was missing. Due to this, the IPG has acquired the rights to the Jaffna Kings franchise, and the franchise will be entirely operated and controlled by Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG.
IPG CEO Anil Mohan said, “Although this was a difficult decision, our priority has always been to protect the integrity of the Lanka Premier League and ensure full stability for our players, coaches, partners and fans.”
“Together with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have worked swiftly to ensure that Jaffna Kings continue to participate in the tournament without any disruption. We would like to reassure everyone that all operational matters including player contracts, staff commitments and team logistics are being managed seamlessly.”
Will the demise of Jaffna Kings affect LPL?
Anil Mohan said that despite the termination, there will be no changes to the LPL schedule or fixtures; It will happen as per schedule and they are planning to conduct the tournament successfully.
“The sixth edition of the LPL will go ahead as planned, and we are fully committed to delivering another successful and world-class tournament.”
The Kings have won two out of three games this season and they are playing their fourth match against Galle Titans tonight. They will have to chase the target of 194 runs to get their third win of the tournament and try to secure the top 2 positions in the table. They are four-time champions of the tournament.
