Photo: Collected

COLOMBO, Jan 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Sri Lankan court handed the British owner 
of a Premier League team a four-year suspended sentence on Wednesday over 
match-fixing in the domestic T20 cricket tournament, a judicial official told 
AFP.

Bangladesh-born Tamim Rahman, owner of Dambulla Thunders, admitted to 
allegations that he had attempted to influence a player and organise betting.

Following his guilty plea, Rahman was convicted and handed a four-year jail 
term which was suspended for five years, the court official said, speaking to 
AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Colombo High Court also fined the owner 24 million rupees ($80,000).

The conviction was in line with a strict 2019 act aimed at preventing 
corruption in sports in Sri Lanka.

Rahman's arrest in 2024, which came after the player involved had alerted the 
authorities, was the first such detention of a Premier League official since 
it was established six years ago.

He was apprehended at the airport in Colombo before boarding a flight to 
Dubai, and spent a few weeks in detention before being granted bail.

The court official said a warrant was out for the arrest of team manager 
Mujeeb Ur Rehman, a Pakistani national, who was also implicated in the case.