The contract of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise Dambulla Thunders has been terminated by the LPL with immediate effect.
The decision to terminate the contract of Dambulla Thunders was taken immediately after the arrest of the Dambulla Thunders owner Tamim Rahman by the special investigation unit under the 2019 Prevention of Offenses Relating to Sports Law at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). Rahman was produced before the Colombo Magistrate and remanded until the 31st of May. Rahman is a British national of Bangladeshi origin and was arrested prior to boarding a flight in Colombo.
According to sources, Rahman was arrested in relation to corruption in the LPL. He leads the Imperial Sports Group, which purchased the Dambulla franchise in April. Dambulla Thunders is one of the five participating teams in the LPL and one of the two franchises with new owners in LPL 2024. The franchise was previously named Dambulla Aura, and following its acquisition by the Imperial Sports Group, the name was changed to Dambulla Thunders.
The LPL 2024 auction was held a day before, and it has retained several players who previously played for Dambulla Aura. During the auction, officials of the ICC anti-corruption unit were also present. Despite the unclear reason for Rahman’s arrest, several Indian media outlets reported that the arrest was related to an alleged match-fixing attempt at the LPL. However, Sri Lanka Cricket or the LPL did not release any official statement regarding the reason for Rahman’s arrest.
