Dambulla Thunders terminated from LPL after owner's arrest

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) has terminated/retracted the rights of the franchise Dambulla Thunders with immediate effect. It is done in light of the legal issues against Tamim Rahman, the CEO of Imperial Sports Group and the owner of the franchise. 

Rahman was arrested on May 22 (Wednesday) at Bandaranaike International Airport over allegations of match-fixing. The Special Investigation Unit for the Prevention of Offenses Relating to Sports at the Sports Ministry carried out the arrest while Rahman was reportedly flying to Dubai.

The charges against Rahman remain unclear but for the sake of the smooth running of the tournament and the sportsmanship values, the LPL management has pulled the plug on the franchise. 

“We are committed to the highest standards of transparency and professionalism and will continue to support all our teams, players and fans during the transition,” said Anil Mohan, the LPL rights holder IPG Group chairman. 

Rahman is a British citizen of Bangladesh origin. He will be remanded in police custody until May 31 for further investigation by the police.

The decision is taken only a day after the auction for the 2024 season, scheduled to begin on July 1. Rahman’s team, Dambulla Thunders, spent $450,000 to sign 24 players. They acquired the most expensive foreign player of the auction, Afghanistan’s seam-bowling all-rounder Karim Janat for $80,000. 

No decision has been taken yet on what happens to those players and how the league will fill the spot vacated by the Thunders in the league.

Play Asli Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.