ICC Bans US Cricketer Akhilesh Reddy For Match-Fixing

NEW DELHI-United States cricketer Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from all forms of cricket for eight years after an International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of three breaches of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

The sanctions against the 26-year-old stem from corrupt activities linked to the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the ICC, Reddy’s eight-year suspension has been backdated to November 21, 2025, when he was provisionally suspended.

The ICC said the tribunal found Reddy guilty of attempting to improperly influence aspects of matches during the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, attempting to persuade another participant to engage in corrupt conduct, and obstructing the investigation by deleting data and messages from his mobile phone that could have been relevant to the inquiry.

The charges stem from an incident on the morning of November 19, 2025, when Reddy approached a teammate, identified by the tribunal as ‘Player A’, in a hotel room shortly before the Aspin Stallions’ opening match and asked him to “give runs” by conceding extra runs while bowling at the behest of team management.

The tribunal said ‘Player A’ rejected the corrupt approach and reported the matter to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit. He was subsequently dropped from the playing XI shortly before the match.

The tribunal also found that Reddy deliberately deleted WhatsApp messages and call logs exchanged with ‘Player A’ before the ACU investigation. While Reddy claimed it was part of routine “data hygiene” on his phone, the tribunal rejected the explanation, ruling that he intentionally destroyed potentially incriminating material.

The sanctions were imposed following a hearing before a three-member tribunal comprising Michael J. Beloff KC, Justice Kate O’Regan and Lloyd Mhishi.

Reddy made his international debut for the United States against the Cayman Islands in the North America T20 Cup. He has played four T20 Internationals for the USA and has taken one wicket. (IANS)