Dambulla Thunders terminated from LPL
Photo : Dambulla Thunders on X
Sri Lanka Cricket and IPG, the rights holders of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), have terminated the contract of Dambulla Thunders with immediate effect following the arrest of franchise owner Tamim Rahman in Colombo on Wednesday.
Rahman was arrested under the 2019 Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports law, which is governed by Sri Lanka’s sports ministry.
“While the specifics of the charges against Mr. Rahman remain unclear, the integrity and smooth functioning of the Lanka Premier League are of utmost importance,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
“This termination aims to uphold the values and reputation of the LPL, ensuring that all participants adhere to the highest standards of conduct and sportsmanship.
The LPL management is working diligently to address the consequences of this termination and to ensure minimal disruption to the upcoming season,” it added.
According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Sri Lankan police said that Rahman is a British national of Bangladeshi origin and was arrested prior to boarding a flight in Colombo.
It also added that the arrest is in connection with corruption in the LPL, though details are not clear at this stage.
Notably, the Dambulla franchise is one of two with new owners in LPL 2024, and that has meant a shift from Dambulla Aura to Dambulla Thunders. The team is currently owned by Imperial Sports Group, founded by Rahman.
The arrest of Rahman was done days after the LPL 2024 auction.
At the auction, where ICC anti-corruption unit officials were present – Thunders retained many of the players who had earlier been a part of Aura, and added the Afghanistan duo of Karim Janat and Hazratullah Zazai.
The franchise also has many prominent overseas players like Mustafizur Rahman, Ibrahim Zadran and Iftikhar Ahmed, as well as Sri Lanka internationals Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Akila Dananjaya, Danushka Gunathilaka, Nuwan Pradeep and others.
Notably, Sri Lanka became the first South Asian nation to criminalise several offences related to match-fixing, after its parliament passed all three readings of the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports bill in November 2019.
The country’s sports ministry had worked closely with the ICC’s ACU during the process of drafting the bill.