US cricketer Akhilesh Reddy gets eight-year ban for match-fixing

Indian-origin US international cricketer Akhilesh Reddy has been suspended for eight ‌years after being found guilty ​of ⁠match-fixing charges, the International ‌Cricket Council (ICC) said ‌on Monday.

Reddy was charged in November with breaching ‌three counts of the sport's anti-corruption ⁠code during the ongoing franchise-based Abu Dhabi T10 League, and was provisionally suspended.

Reddy, 26, was found guilty by a tribunal ​of attempting to fix or ‌improperly influence matches, trying to get another player to participate ⁠in the same activities and deleting data and messages from a mobile ​device ‌relevant to the investigation.

"The ‌ban is backdated to 21 November 2025," the ICC said in a ‌statement, adding ‌that Reddy's ⁠attempt to influence another ‌player to participate in corrupt activities did not succeed. Reddy ⁠last played for ​the US in April 2025.

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

"Following formal tribunal proceedings, Reddy was held guilty of violating three key provisions under the Anti-Corruption Code:

"Article 2.1.1: Attempting to fix, contrive or otherwise influence improperly, or being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the ADT10 2025.

"Article 2.1.4: Soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating (or attempting to do the former) another Participant to breach Article 2.1.1 of the Code in one or more Matches in the ADT10 2025.

"Article 2.4.7: Obstructing the DACO's investigation through deletion of data and messages from a mobile device which may have been relevant to the DACO's investigation," said the ICC in its statement on Monday.

The charges stem from an incident on the morning of November 19, 2025, in a hotel room shortly before the opening match of the Aspin Stallions.

The Tribunal found that Reddy approached a teammate (designated as 'Player A') and asked him to "give runs" (concede extra runs while bowling) at the behest of team management.

When 'Player A' rejected the corrupt approach and reported the matter to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), he was dropped from the starting XI shortly before the match.

Regarding the third charge, Reddy admitted to manually deleting WhatsApp text messages and call logs exchanged with 'Player A' on the morning of November 19. While he claimed it was standard "data hygiene" on his iPhone, the Tribunal rejected his defence, ruling that he intentionally destroyed potentially incriminating material ahead of the ACU probe.

The sanctions were handed down following an extensive hearing by a three-member tribunal comprising Michael J Beloff KC (Chair), Justice Kate O'Regan, and Lloyd Mhishi. Reddy, who made his international debut against the Cayman Islands in the North America T20 Cup, has featured in four T20Is for the USA, and took one wicket.

Agencies