COLOMBO: 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.

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

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026