The Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) will roll onto the ground on Wednesday (Dec 11) amid a competitive mood as Bangladesh team management shifts its focus to find out players for the ICC World T20 in Australia next year.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which this year exclusively runs the tournament dedicated to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to celebrate his birth centenary, earlier announced that this event would be a platform to form a squad which could do well in the T20 cricket, a format in which they always found them in vulnerable state.
The tournament was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday amid enthusiasm and fanfare as Bollywood star Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif left the audience awestruck with their mesmerizing performance.
A total of seven teams, sponsored by various companies, are participating in the tournament for the coveted trophy, which will be decided through a grand final on January 17.
BCB, however, sponsors one team in Cumilla Warriors. Akhter Furnishers is the sponsor of Chattogram Challengers, Dhaka Platoon is sponsored by Jamuna Bank Limited, Khulna Tigers got a sponsor from Premier Bank Limited, IPC sponsors Rajshahi Royals, Rangpur Rangers is sponsored by Incepta Pharmaceuticals while Jivani Footwear Company runs Sylhet Thunder.
Seven BCB directors are in charge of the seven teams as team director.
“The tournament is exclusively run by the BCB and we are trying to find out some good T20 players for us since we have the World T20 coming up,” the BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon said earlier.
“We have some disputed positions in T20 cricket, for which we need to find out players and also need to create a back-up players’ pool. So this tournament is very important for us,” he said.
Two matches will be held every day in the tournament for which three venues– Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram and Sylhet International Cricket Stadium are being used.
The prices of the tickets, however, are higher than expected as the lowest price of the ticket is BDT 200 (Easter Stand) and the highest price is BDT 2000 (Grand Stand).
Price of the ticket of VIP Stand and Club House is BDT 500 while the Northern/Southern Stand ticket is BDT 3000. Tickets will be found in a booth set up in the stadium and through online: www.shohoz.com, www.paypoint.com.bd and www.gadgetbangla.com.
The first match will begin from 1.30 pm while the second match is on from 6.30 pm. But every Friday, the first match is on from 2 pm while the second match will start at 7 pm.
The teams, however, already formed their team with the mix of foreign and local players through a draft held on November 12 while six teams chose to rope in foreign coach for them. Dhaka Platoon is the only team which opted for a local coach in Mohammad Salahuddin.
The coaches though had already joined the side and supervising the practice session of the teams, all of the foreign players are yet to come.
Most of the overseas players though had already joined the team. Four teams will get down the field tomorrow on the first day of the tournament. Chattogram Challengers will take on Sylhet Thunder in the day match while Cumilla Warriors will lock horns against Rangpur Rangers in the night match.
The squad of the seven teams of BBPL:
Chattogram Challengers: Mahmudullah Ryad, Imrul Kayes, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Enamul Haque Junior, Muktar Ali, Pinak Ghosh, Nasum Ahmed and Junaid Siddique
Overseas: Chris Gayle, Keshrick Williams, Avishka Fernando, Rayad Emrit, Ryan Burland Imad Wasim.
Cumilla Warriors: Soumya Sarkar, Al Amin Junior, Yasir Ali, Sabbir Rahman, Sunzamul Islam, Abu Haider Rony, Mahidul Islam Ankan, Sumon Khan and Fardin Hossain Anil.
Overseas: Kusal Perera, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Dawid Malan and Dasun Shanaka.
Dhaka Platoon: Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Hasan Mahmud, Mehedi Hasan, Arfiul Haque, Mominul Haque, Shuvagata Hom, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Roqibul Hasan and Jaker Ali Anik.
Overseas: Thisara Perera, Laurie Evans, Wahab Riaz, Asif Ali, Luis Reece and Shahid Afridi.
Khulna Tigers: Mushfiqur Rahim, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Aminul Islam Biplob, Shamsur Rahman, Saif Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shahidul Islam, Allis Al Islam and Tanvir Islam
Overseas: Rilee Rossouw, Robbie Frylinck, Mohammad Amir, Najibullah Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Rajshahi Royals: Liton Das, Afif Hossain, Irfan Shukkur, Abu Jayed Rahi, Farhad Reza, Taijul Islam, Alok Kapali, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Minhajul Abedin Afridi and Nahidul Islam.
Overseas: Ravi Bopara, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Irfan.
Rangpur Rangers: Mustafizur Rahman, Naim Sheikh, Arafat Sunny, Jahurul Islam Omee, Taskin Ahmed, Zakir Hasan, Fazle Mahmud Rabbi, Nadif Chowdhury and Sanjit Saha
Overseas: Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Lewis Gregory and Cameron Delport.
Sylhet Thunder: Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Islam Apu, Sohag Gazi, Rony Talukder, Nayeem Hasan, Delwar Hossain, Monir Hossain Khan and Rubel Mia
Overseas: Sherfane Rutherford, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Naveen-ul-Haq, Johnson Charles and Jeevan Mendis.
