This was the first occurrence of a BPL team playing all Bangladeshi players in an XI.
There has been no shortage of drama in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and a fresh one has emerged from the latest game. During the 34th match between Durbar Rajshahi and Rangpur Riders, Durbar Rajshahi played all 11 local players, with no overseas cricketer in the XI.
According to the rules, all teams must play at least two overseas players in their XI. However, the tournament’s local committee allowed them to field all Bangladeshi players, as revealed in a BCB statement.
“The Durbar Rajshahi team has applied to the BPL Technical Committee for special approval to field a team consisting solely of Bangladeshi players for today’s match against Rangpur Riders due to the non-availability of overseas players. After a review of the request and in accordance with the provisions outlined in Clause 1.2.8 of the Match Playing Conditions of BPL 2024-25, the Technical Committee has granted approval for Durbar Rajshahi to field a team consisting of only Bangladeshi players for this match.”
This was the first occurrence of a BPL team playing all Bangladeshi players in an XI. Generally, teams want to have all four overseas players in their team, but this BPL has been bizarre in several ways.
The players opted out of the game due to a dispute in pay – they were only paid one-fourth of their total fees. According to the guidelines, team owners must pay 75% of the total salary during the tournament, so players did not show up for this contest.
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Local Bangladeshi cricketers had earlier protested by skipping training in Chattogram, which compelled the franchise to pay them. The team owner was also under fire for not paying hotel bills in Chattogram, and his car was reportedly seized.
On Sunday, the players changed their hotel in Dhaka, where overseas players stayed after not participating in the contest. Their overseas players are Ryan Burl, Mohammad Haris, Mark Deyal, Miguel Cummins, Aftab Alam and Lahiru Samarakoon.
Fortunately, the absence of overseas players didn’t hurt the team as Durbar Rajshahi won a low-scoring affair by two runs. However, they will still need the services of foreign stars in the coming game, and irrespective of that, the owner should clear their salary issue.
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