The USA cricketer Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from playing all formats of the game by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he was found guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code in relation to the Abu Dhabi T10 2025 tournament.
On Monday, the ICC officially announced his eight-year ban across all formats of the game, backdated to November 21, 2025, the day he was provisionally suspended.
According to the statement by the world governing body of cricket, Akhilesh Reddy has admitted to multiple breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code, including attempting to fix matches, encouraging another participant in corrupt conduct, failing to report an approach, and deleting evidence during investigation, all in relation to theAbu Dhabi T10 Tournament last year.
The incident came to light after the ICC, acting as the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (DACO) on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), launched an investigation into corrupt activities during the last edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 Tournament, where Akhilesh was playing for UP Nawabs.
Following the investigation, it was found that Akhilesh Reddy had attempted to improperly influence matches by approaching another participant to engage in corrupt conduct. His failure to report to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit and deletion of evidence from his mobile phone during the investigation led to him being charged with four breaches of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Early Ambitions and Indian Roots
Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy might have represented the USA at the international level, but the 26-year-old was raised and played in Hyderabad. He started his cricketing dreams in Hyderabad and broke into thestate’s age-group team, especially U19, where his impressive performances eventually earned him recognition in the local circuit.
His performances at the U19 level led to his selection in Hyderabad’s senior squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Akhilesh Reddy was roped in as one of the net bowlers for Sunrisers Hyderabad and bowled to Shikhar Dhawan and Manish Pandey in the nets, sharpening his skills against international-level batters.
Despite showing early promise in domestic and franchise cricket circles, Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy struggled to secure a regular spot in the playing XI, prompting him to shift his focus and relocate to the United States of America (USA) for better opportunities in international cricket.
Chasing Dreams in the USA
Seeking greater opportunities, Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy returned to the USA, his birth country, where he held his citizenship. After catching the eye of a US coach with his bowling skills, the doors began to open for him. Since American cricket was expanding, Reddy couldn’t have asked for a better time to step onto a larger stage. His big break came when he played for Washington Freedom in the2023 edition of the Major League Cricket.
In 2024, the 26-year-old picked up 4 wickets in 5 innings for New York Strikers in MAX60 Caribbean. He also played for Houston Hurricanes in Minor League Cricket. In 2025, following his impressive domestic performances, Akhilesh Reddy made his international debut for the USA in a T20I match against the Cayman Islands in the North America T20 Cup, where he claimed his maiden wicket.
Then, Akhilesh featured in three more matches for the USA, but went wicketless. His last international appearance in April 2025, and since then, theHyderabad-raised cricketer has remained away from the national side.
Now, Bodugam Akhilesh Reddy’s career has been hit with a major setback as he will not be able to play a single match across all formats of the game for a period of eight years, following the ICC’s decision to ban him after he was found guilty of multiple breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code during the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
By the time he completes serving the ban, Akhilesh Reddy will be 34, and his chances of returning to professional cricket will be virtually non-existent, effectively bringing a premature and controversial end to his journey across domestic and international circuits.