United News of Bangladesh

Bangladeshi leg-spinner Rishad Hossain has secured a lucrative deal in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 player draft, being signed by Rawalpindi Express for a staggering 3 crore Pakistani Rupees (PKR) on Wednesday. The 23-year-old all-rounder, who delivered an impressive performance for Lahore Qalandars in the previous season, sparked a bidding war between Karachi and Rawalpindi Express after his former franchise decided not to retain or bid for him. Rashed of Gono Odhikar Parishad joins BNP to contest polls The auction, which began at 12:30 PM Bangladesh time, featured 903 registered cricketers, including 53 from Bangladesh. While all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the first Bangladeshi name to be called, he failed to attract a buyer. Rishad was picked from the category of players with a base price of PKR 1.1 crore—a list that included 22 Bangladeshi cricketers. His price eventually escalated to PKR 3 crore during the bidding process. Three Bangladeshi veterans—Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Zakir Hasan—were listed in the highest base price category of PKR 2.2 crore.  

Bangladesh cricketers Nahid Rana and Rishad Hossain are returning home early from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) amid growing security concerns following escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) source confirmed the development, saying that despite earlier assurances of safety from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the decision was made in response to the players' requests to leave the tournament. The BCB has already begun arrangements to facilitate their safe return. Concerns escalated further after a drone strike near Rawalpindi Stadium just hours before a scheduled match. The incident prompted the PCB to relocate remaining matches away from the venue. Reports indicate that nearly 40 foreign players met with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi following the attack, but many remained unconvinced by the board’s reassurances. IPL match relocated amid India-Pakistan tensions Nahid and Rishad, who were representing Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars respectively, communicated their desire to return home directly to the BCB. Their decision comes as anxiety rises among players in the wake of continued drone activity following last week’s missile strikes. Their departure also casts fresh uncertainty over Bangladesh’s own upcoming tour of Pakistan, where the national team is scheduled to play a five-match T20 series later this month. Speedster Nahid prioritises Zimbabwe series over PSL The BCB has yet to make a final call on that tour, saying it will continue to monitor the security situation closely.

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan may miss the remainder of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for what he has been contracted with the Lahore Qalandars in the replacement draft recently. The allrounder is reportedly more interested to take part in the Dhaka Premeir Divison Cricket League which is set to begin on May 31. Mohammedan Sporting Club has bid to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to secure the service of Shakib. Also read: BCB trying to relax quarantine rules for Shakib, Mustafiz The allrounder missed the last season of the league, which was cancelled after only one round of the games, due to his ban. Since he is a free player now, any team can bid to secure his service. Tarikul Islam Tito, a Mohammedan official, has recently submitted a letter to the BCB saying that the allrounder is keen to take part in Dhaka League for them. Tarikul said to the Cricbuzz that the board is yet to say yes to them. Also read: Shakib Al Hasan vs Mustafizur Rahman: Who is the most successful player in IPL? “Instead of playing PSL, Shakib is interested to take part in Dhaka League for us. He was not a part of the league last season, and he is now a free player who can sign for any team. We have sown our interest to secure his service,” Tarikul told the media. Shakib was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently-suspended Indian Premier League (IPL). He somewhat was out of form in this cash-rich event. Along with Shakib, Bangladesh allrounder Mahmudullah Riyad and wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das were also contracted with two different PSL franchises. But like Shakib, these two are also uncertain for the remainder of PSL which may take place in early July. Also read: Mahmudullah, Shakib and Liton set to feature in PSL This year’s Dhaka League will be played in the T20 format, unlike the other seasons. Kazi Inam Ahmed, the chairman of the  Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), has earlier said that due to the Covid-19 situation around the country, they like to host the league in a shorter period of time. “As decided earlier it will be a T20 event. Considering the busy international schedule and the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, we believe that T20 is the ideal format for the 2019-20 League,” he told in a statement early this month.

Veteran Bangladeshi allrounders Mahmudullah Riyad, Shakib Al Hasan and wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das are set to feature in the resumption of this year's chequered Pakistan Super League (PSL), a T20 league organized by Pakistan Cricket Board (BCB), as the replacement players. These three Bangladeshi players are among the 19 overseas players who have been picked up by the PSL teams from the replacement draft. The other players are from Australia, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Right-handed allrounder Mahmudullah will represent Multan Sultans in the remainder of the PSL. He had previously played for Quetta Gladiators in this event. Left-arm allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is recently busy playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders, will play for Lahore Qalandars. Shakib had previously represented Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in PSL. Liton, on the other hand, is all set to play for Karachi Kings. It’ll be his second appearance in a foreign league. He previously played for Jamaica Tallawahs in Caribbean Premier League. While Shakib is busy in IPL, Mahmudullah currently at home and Liton is touring Sri Lanka with the Bangladesh team to play a two-match Test series against the hosts. There are a total of 34 matches in PSL and 15 of them have already been played. The remainder of the league will resume from June 1 and will run to June 20. All the matches will take place at the National Stadium, Karachi.

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal was banned for three years from all forms of cricket on Monday for failing to report corrupt approaches before this year's Pakistan Super League.

The Pakistan Cricket Board says all 128 COVID-19 tests carried on players, officials, broadcasters and team owners associated with the Pakistan Super League have come back negative.

The Pakistan Super League has been postponed because of concerns over the spreading coronavirus, hours before the first of the semifinals was set to begin.

Bangladesh’s Pakistan tour scheduled for April has been cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).

Ben Dunk smashed a tournament record 12 sixes and powered Lahore Qalandars to an eight-wicket victory over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League on Sunday.

Teenage fast bowler Naseem Shah will miss at least two Pakistan Super League games due to injury.