A court in the Island nation of Sri Lanka has ordered Indian nationals in Yoni Patel and P Akash to give up their passports over indictments of match-fixing against the duo. The match-fixing incidents is said to have occurred during the unsanctioned Legends Cricket League tournament in Colombo.
Both Yoni Patel and P Akash are currently on bail, but are facing accusations of fixing matches in the competition, played between March 8th - March 19th at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy. Rajasthan Kings had beaten New York Strikers in the final of the tournament, Yoni Patel owning a team named Kandy Swamp Army team.
Ex-Sri Lanka ODI cricketer Upul Tharanga and former New Zealand limited-overs specialist Neil Broom reported to the Special Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Sports about Patel and P Akash approaching them to underperform.
Sri Lanka is the first Asian country to criminalize match-fixing and corruption in sports:
Meanwhile, the Island nation is the first Asian country to treat match-fixing and corruption as crime in sports as they passed the law in 2019. The people guilty of this crime can face punishments ranging from jail sentence of 10 years to paying fines.
The law will also punish those who fail to report corrupt approaches. The Pakistan trio of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, and Salman Butt are the most recent ones to receive stringent punishments for their involvement in wrongdoings.
Nevertheless, the Legends Cricket League tournament comes neither under SLC or ICC.
