USA Cricketer Akhilesh Reddy Banned for Eight Years Over Corruption Violations
New Delhi — USA cricketer Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from all forms of cricket for eight years after an International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal found him guilty of three violations linked to the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
The 26-year-old’s suspension was backdated to Nov. 21, 2025, when he was provisionally suspended, the ICC said Monday.
Reddy was found guilty of attempting to improperly influence matches, encouraging another player to participate in corrupt activity and obstructing an investigation by deleting potentially relevant data and messages from his mobile phone.
The case centered on an incident in a hotel room on the morning of Nov. 19, 2025, shortly before the Aspin Stallions’ opening match.
According to the tribunal, Reddy approached a teammate, identified as “Player A,” and asked him to “give runs,” meaning concede extra runs while bowling, allegedly at the request of team management.
The player rejected the approach and reported it to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit. He was then removed from the starting lineup shortly before the match, according to the tribunal’s findings.
Reddy also admitted deleting WhatsApp messages and call logs exchanged with the player that morning. He argued that the deletions were part of his usual iPhone “data hygiene,” but the tribunal rejected that explanation and concluded that he had intentionally destroyed material that could have been relevant to the investigation.
The case was heard by a three-member tribunal chaired by Michael J. Beloff, KC, alongside Justice Kate O’Regan and Lloyd Mhishi.
The ICC acted as the designated anti-corruption official for the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament after being appointed by the Emirates Cricket Board.
Reddy made his international debut for the United States against the Cayman Islands in the North America T20 Cup. He has appeared in four Twenty20 internationals and taken one wicket. (Source: IANS)
