There are intriguing parallels between Arjuna Ranatunga and Imran Khan. Both are national heroes with strong personalities and unyielding leadership styles - World Cup-winning captains and game-changers who unsettled the status quo in their countries' cricket.

Unfailingly confrontational and unapologetically assertive, both went on to become politicians. At the time of the present World Cup, the two World Cup heroes have become, virtually, persona non grata in their countries. The only difference: one is incarcerated, while the other faces legal uncertainty

With the T20 World Cup unfolding on home soil, Ranatunga - effectively Sri Lanka cricket's first citizen - is conspicuous by his absence. Where is he? Ask around, and the answer, spoken in hushed tones, is largely the same: "We don't know."

"I would not know why he is not involved in the game, would not know if he is in the country or abroad. I would not know why he is not being seen," says Sidath Wettimuny, a former teammate of Ranatunga and a prolific batter from Sri Lanka. The word is that he is in the United States currently but few would confirm this. When reached, there would be some reply from the family, finally.

"Yes, he is in the United States. He has been blessed with grandchildren," Nishantha Ranatunga tells Cricbuzz. Nishantha has no hesitation in confirming that his elder brother is no longer involved in the country's cricket administration or the SLC, where he had briefly served in 2023, in an interim capacity before being displaced.

A few years ago, Ranatunga had launched a virulent diatribe against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He has never particularly been pro-BCCI or pro-India, unlike the current dispensation at the SLC, which has mostly been friendly to the Indian board.

But Ranatunga's disappearance from the public eye is not related to India. It was widely reported last December that the country's Anti-Corruption Watchdog linked him to an alleged scam, and an arrest warrant was issued against him. Days later, his brothers Dhammika and Prasanna were briefly taken into custody - though not necessarily on the same charge - and released soon after. Does the warrant against Arjuna still stand? Again, no one is willing to speak on the matter.

Ranatunga, 62, was born into a family of politicians. His father, Reggie Ranatunga, was a legislator, governor, and minister. So his transition from cricket to politics was perhaps both, natural and essential. It was as if he had been born for it.

But in politics, he could not replicate the phenomenal success he enjoyed in cricket. In his early days, cricket was largely an elite sport in the island, and Ranatunga, coming from a privileged family, naturally had access to it. Yet he broke that pattern, helping make the game accessible to the common people.

That Sri Lanka went on to win the World Cup, a Black Swan event for cricket in the island, much like India's triumph in 1983 that shifted the global landscape of the game, was a tribute to Ranatunga's unshakeable leadership. Yet, few are willing to speak about him at this moment. Even Marvan Atapattu, a former captain and a family member, who benefited from the captaincy of Ranatunga who fiercely backed him despite his flurry of ducks in his early days as a player, would politely decline to comment: "No, please," he said.

One person who would, however, speak about Ranatunga is his one-time arch-adversary, Thilanga Sumathipala. "The problem with Arjuna is that he and his brother were indicted, and he faces difficulties with the authorities. He could be remanded to custody. He will have to fight that," the former SLC chief tells Cricbuzz.

"As a cricketer, there were no doubts about his credentials. He was a great captain and leader, and I would have liked to see him in a consultant role with the SLC, like many other former cricketers such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, or even Aravinda de Silva.

"But as an administrator, we can't say the same. He tried to get elected to the SLC a few times but was defeated. As a politician, he faced many challenges, much like Imran Khan. It was not easy for him," adds Sumathipala, who was the board's vice-president when Ranatunga led Sri Lanka to the World Cup (in 1996). Sumathipala was the president when Ranatunga retired at the turn of the century.

Ranatunga and Sumathipala were never known to be great friends. The cricketing rivalry between their schools - Arjuna's Ananda school and Sumathipala's Nalanda College - is legendary. Yet when Ranatunga retired at the turn of the century, Sumathipala, claims that he had arranged a farewell match in his honour.

But the parallels between Ranatunga and Imran diverge here. Unlike the Pakistani leader, Ranatunga is the least of the current administration's concerns in Sri Lanka.

While corruption charges have been leveled against Imran, leaving him firmly in prison with no certainty over his release, the current Lankan government is said to be largely indifferent to Ranatunga. And it is unlikely that Imran's fate would befall Ranagunga and the general impression is that his case may not carry the same political weight as Imran's.

And unlike Imran, Arjuna is no threat to any political party or the government or even to the SLC which has benefited from his contribution to the game.