The owner of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise, Dambulla Thunders, Tamim Rahman, has been remanded in custody following his arrest at Katunayake Airport. The arrest was carried out by officials from the Special Investigation Unit for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports at the Sports Ministry. This development occurred shortly after the Dambulla Thunders participated in the LPL 2024 player auction in Colombo, where the team signed 18 players.
Rahman, a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, will remain in custody until May 31, 2024, as ordered by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. While the specific charges against him have not been disclosed, his arrest raises concerns about the integrity of the LPL and potentially other sports tournaments as largely expressed by the public on several social media platforms.
This incident underscores the damaging impact that corrupt practices by sports officials can have on the reputation of sporting events. The presence of the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption team at the auction highlights the ongoing efforts to safeguard the sport from such influences, but Rahman’s arrest is a stark reminder of the persistent challenges in ensuring clean and fair competition in sports.
A SLC official when contacted said “Individual owners of franchises may sometimes violate rules and regulations, this does not reflect on the integrity of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) or Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Those who tarnish the reputation of the sport will face appropriate consequences.”
