COLOMBO: A day after a widely reported player auction, the foreign owner of a T20 cricket team in Sri Lanka’s Premier League (LPL) was taken into custody on suspicion of corruption on Wednesday, according to police.
British national Tamim Rahman, the owner of Dambulla Thunders, was detained at the Colombo airport prior to boarding a flight to Dubai, according to police.
According to AFP, police and immigration officials said that he was taken into custody on suspicion of match-fixing, as per a court order.
Rahman was placed under arrest awaiting additional inquiries and jailed until May 31.
Two provisions of the Sports Act pertaining to match-fixing and attempting to organise betting were the subjects of the investigation into him.
The arrest was made by a special police unit that deals with sports corruption; it was the first time an official from the LPL tournament has been involved since the competition started four years ago.
Infractions under the Sports Act may result in severe penalties and lengthy prison terms—up to ten years.
Rahman’s Dambulla club paid $450,000 on Tuesday to acquire 24 players, with Afghani all-rounder Karim Janat costing $80,000 being the most expensive international acquisition.
The tournament’s organizers announced that the Dambulla Thunders’ rights had been canceled due to the owner’s suspected involvement in corruption.
The LPL’s rights holder, IPG Group, stated in a statement that “this termination/retraction of rights aims to uphold the values and reputation of the LPL, ensuring that all participants adhere to the highest standards of conduct and sportsmanship.”
It was unclear right away whether Dambulla Thunders would be replaced or if the five-team competition would drop to four teams. The LPL competition will begin on July 1 and conclude on July 21.
