The Dambulla Thunders no longer exist. A day after the LPL 2024 auction took place in Colombo, the franchise’s contract has been terminated. The Thunders are one of the five franchises that were supposed to take part in the upcoming fifth season, which will start on July 1.
Match-fixing charges take down Dambulla Thunders owner
The reason why the Thunders will no longer participate in the LPL is due to the arrest of their owner, Tamim Rahman. He was arrested today (May 22) after Sri Lanka’s sports ministry found him guilty of corruption. Rahman is a British national and is of Bangladeshi origin. He was arrested in Colombo while boarding a flight.
It is believed that Tamim Rahman has been arrested on match-fixing charges, and the Colombo Magistrate’s Court has ruled that he’ll be in custody until May 31.
Right now, it’s unsure whether a new franchise will be introduced before the LPL 2024 season starts. This also leaves the 24 players who are part of the Dambulla Thunders squad without a home. Big names like Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mustafizur Rahman were part of the franchise, and the sudden announcement also casts doubt over their participation as well.
Dambulla Thunders LPL 2024 squad
Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Dushan Hemantha, Praveen Jayawickrama. Mustafizur Rahman, Ibrahim Zadran, Lahiru Udara, Akila Dananjaya, Danushka Gunathilaka. Iftikhar Ahmed, Nuwanidu Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Ranesh Silva, Sohan de Livera, Hazmatullah Zazai, Karim Janat. Asela Gunaratne, Lahiru Madushanka, Rusanda Gamage, Mithun Jayawickrama, Ayana Siriwardhana, Sonal Dinusha, Haider Ali, Santhush Gunathilaka.