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October 14, 2024
The upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), set to start on December 27, is facing confusion and uncertainty. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not yet announced the new chairman and secretary for the BPL Governing Council, as both positions have been vacant since the departures of Sheikh Sohel and Ismail Haider Mallick following the fall of the Awami League government.
With the player draft scheduled for October 14, the BCB is racing against time to appoint the two officials and confirm the seven participating teams. Three teams from the previous season, including four-time champions Comilla Victorians and Durdanto Dhaka, have decided not to participate. The Chattogram Challengers also voiced concerns about unfair treatment by the new BCB president, Faruque Ahmed. While talks with potential new team owners are ongoing, some teams have yet to complete the required payments to join the tournament.
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In the player draft, former national captain Mashrafe Mortaza, 41, has been placed in Grade B. Mortaza has been largely inactive in competitive cricket and took a break midway through last season’s BPL to focus on political duties ahead of the January elections.
BCB officials have stated that placing the legendary Mashrafe Mortaza in Grade B for the player draft was a mark of respect, as they felt he couldn’t be ranked lower. “We have spoken with Mashrafe regarding his place in the player’s draft,” a BCB official told Cricbuzz, adding that they might make adjustments to player categories if needed.
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Meanwhile, all-rounder Mohammad Saifuddin, who played a key role in Fortune Barishal’s success last season with 15 wickets, has been placed in Category C. Despite his performance earning him a spot in the T20I squad against Zimbabwe, Saifuddin was not selected for the T20 World Cup, with the team opting for Tanzim Sakib instead. Saifuddin reportedly spoke with a selection panel member regarding his demotion from Grade B, where he was ranked last season. Other notable players like Abu Haider Rony, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, and Zakir Hasan have also been placed below Mortaza in the draft, with several in Category C.
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A total of 188 players have been divided into six categories for the draft. Categories A and B each include 12 players, while Category C has 22 players. Categories D, E, and F contain 28, 51, and 63 players, respectively.
The highest price cap is set for Category A players at Tk 60 lakh. The price caps for the remaining categories are Tk 40 lakh, Tk 25 lakh, Tk 20 lakh, Tk 15 lakh, and Tk 10 lakh, respectively. Top players in Category A include Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Tamim Iqbal, Liton Kumer Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Taskin Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Towhid Hridoy, Mustafizur Rahman, and Rishad Hossain.
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