Limassol Gladiators excluded from European Cricket Series Cyprus in match fixing probe

Limassol Gladiators have been excluded from the Cypriot leg of the Dream11 European cricket series and are under investigation for match fixing following their defeat to Amdocs CC on Tuesday evening.

Limassol are under investigation following the coincidence of unexpected and shifting odds as reported by punters on social media, and the apparent low scoring rate of the Limassol batsmen, several of whom chose to defend or leave deliveries in the first innings. The situation was further compounded when several of the players in question came on to bowl, bowling multiple wides, several of which went on to reach the boundary. As a result, Amdocs were able to chase the target of 80 with nearly 3 overs to spare and collect their first win since 2018.

With the investigation ongoing, all Limassol fixtures have been removed from the fixtures list, and all results expunged. The tournament effectively started again from scratch on Wednesday morning between the four remaining teams.

Limassol had lost two of their three previous games, including a defeat of over 100 runs against Punjab Lions. They have recently made headline for the wrong reasons having conceded 311 in a T20 against Riyaan CC in June.

With an increased volume of amateur games from associate nations being livestreamed, there comes an increased risk of illegal betting and attempted match fixing. The events follow arrests in India over an illegal betting ring targeting ECN fixtures, and the ECN recently expanding its anti-corruption unit to attempt to tackle this issue.

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