BPL
BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League
Bangladesh’s franchise T20 cricket tournament Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 started on January 6, 2023. The tournament has been taking place since 2012, with occasional breaks. This tournament allows Bangladeshi cricket fans to experience the excitement of watching foreign players compete on the field. Let’s see who can with the BPL 2023.
Overview of BPL 2023 Teams
This year seven teams, Chattogram Challengers, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dominators, Fortune Barishal, Khulna Tigers, Rangpur Riders, and Sylhet Strikers, are participating in the tournament. Read on to get an overview of each team.
Chattogram Challengers
Despite never having won the Bangladesh Premier League title, Chittagong consistently build a competitive team and consistently performs well in the league. Chittagong Challengers showed hope last season too but failed to prove their strength in the end. But, this year, it seems Chittagong has started BPL with an average team, as there is no domestic or foreign star cricketer in the team.
Read More: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed
One of the most notable players on the Bangladesh national team is Afif Hossain, is considered to be a standout player for Chattogram Challengers. Besides, there is experienced cricketer Shuvagata Hom, who is the captain of Chittagong Challengers this time. The team contains some well-known names in domestic cricket, like Irfan Shukkur, and Mehedi Maruf.
However, Ireland’s Curtis Campher can bring positive results to this team as he proved his ability by playing fast innings in the T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani will also give the team bowling some strength. There is Taijul Islam, who is an integral part of Bangladesh's Test team, particularly in conditions that favor spin bowling. Further, Mehdi Hasan Rana, the left-arm fast bowler who took 18 wickets last season, is also in the Chittagong team.
Although Chittagong builds the team without any star cricketers, the available players are good performers and have the ability to fight a close match.
Read More: BPL 2023: Salahuddin laments lack of DRS
Comilla Victorians
Comilla is the current champion of the Bangladesh Premier League. This franchise has won the title three times in total. Throughout the 11-year history of the Bangladesh Premier League, the Comilla Victorians have consistently performed well and are considered to be one of the most reliable teams in the league.
However, the team was not in the tournament from the beginning. But since joining the tournament, Victorians authorities were engaged in creating specific supporter groups starting from jerseys, logos, and slogans. They also formed a strong team this year too.
There are star cricketers like Litton Das, Imrul Kayes, Mosaddek Hossain, and Mustafizur Rahman from Bangladesh in this squad. Along with Mosaddek’s all-rounder role, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, and Zimbabwe’s Shaun Williams are also on the team.
Read More: BPL 2023: Mahmudullah in Barishal, Mushfiqur in Sylhet
However, Rizwan will come to Bangladesh later. But Nabi is with Comilla from the beginning. Besides, the team also has Dawid Malan, one of the most successful international T20 batsmen for England.
All these players make Comilla Victorians a balanced team.
Dhaka Dominators
For now, the biggest name of Dhaka Dominators seems to be Chaminda Vaas. He is serving as their head coach of Dhaka. Apart from Vaas, Taskin Ahmed is a big name for Dhaka. Taskin is the best fast bowler in Bangladesh in recent times and is accompanied by Shoriful Islam and Al Amin. All these fast bowlers are the core strength of team Dhaka. Also there is Chamika Karunaratne.
Read More: BPL 2023: What Mashrafe, Perara and Amir can bring to Sylhet Strikers
The well-known names of Bangladesh domestic cricket, Alok Kapali and Muktar Ali, are in the squad. Pakistan’s Shan Masood, who added value to Pakistan’s batting lineup in the T20 World Cup, can be a source of hope for Dhaka Dominators. Further, this tournament can be a big opportunity for Soumya Sarkar to prove his performance once again. The team also signed up Mohammad Mithun and Nasir Hossain.
So, it seems Dhaka will go for attack with the top-class bowling lineup.
Fortune Barishal
Last season, Fortune Barisal was a dominant force in the Bangladesh Premier League. Despite ultimately falling short in the final, the team displayed a high level of skill and consistency throughout the season. Spin bowling was the main strength of this team under Shakib Al Hasan’s captaincy. Last year, Shakib and Afghan bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s combo helped the team to reach the final.
Read More: BPL 2023: Syhet Strikers ropes in Mashrafe, Amir, Perera
This year Mehidy Hasan and Rahkeem Cornwell will accompany Shakib. Also, Sanjamul Islam of the domestic league of Bangladesh will also shine for Barishal. Additionally, the team management has the option to utilize Mahmudullah Riyad and Chaturanga de Silva as alternatives.
Barisal’s main goal was to build an all-rounder-based team. Last season Barisal fielded a team with ten all-rounders except for the wicket-keeper. However, this franchise is entering the BPL 2023 with a slightly weaker team.
But the big strength of the team is captain Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib was recently awarded the best athlete of Bangladesh in a survey and is also the most successful cricketer in the Bangladesh Premier League. He has won the tournament’s best cricketer award four times in eight seasons so far.
Read More: BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers make a flying start winning a low-scoring match
Khulna Tigers
Like Dhaka, Khulna’s big strength is coach Khaled Mahmud. He is a well-known name in Bangladesh Premier League and a successful coach. However, the biggest star of this team is Tamim Iqbal. Tamim is not only the main cricketer of the team but also an important member from team management to team selection.
Squad-wise Khulna is one of the strongest teams this season. There are five Pakistani cricketers in the squad, including Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, and Wahab Riaz. Additionally, Azam Khan can play a big role, while the team also picked Sharjeel Khan. But if Khulna plays in the playoffs, they will not be able to stay in the team in the end.
One of the most successful T20 bowlers in Bangladesh in recent times is Nasum Ahmed remains in the spin sector. Nahidul Islam, who showed surprise last season, is also available on the team.
Read More: BPL 2023: Dhaka Triumphs Over Khulna Amidst Ongoing Criticism Over DRS Absence
Rangpur Riders
Rangpur Riders have their own practice ground and a different style of management and are still trying to maintain the professionalism of international cricket in the Bangladesh Premier League. The one-time champions of the tournament have not appeared in the last season. This time the team has come to the BPL with a strong pace bowling attack.
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud remain at the core of the attack. Besides, the important players of the Pakistan T20 team, Mohammad Nawaz and Shoaib Malik, are playing for Rangpur. Sikandar Raza, a star cricketer from Zimbabwe, has been signed to play for Rangpur for the entire season. Besides, there are Sheikh Mehdi Hasan and Naeem Sheikh. Bangladesh’s Nurul Hasan Sohan will lead this team.
Sylhet Strikers
Sylhet has appeared as Sylhet Strikers name in the Bangladesh Premier League this time. Sylhet can be called the most unsuccessful team in the history of BPL. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the most successful captain of BPL, is playing for this team this year. However, he has not played in any professional cricket matches since April of the previous year.
Read More: BPL 2023: Sylhet overpower Barishal by six wickets
Bangladesh National Parliament members Mashrafe and Mushfiq, who retired from international T20 cricket, are big names in Sylhet. A fund fact, Mushfiqur Rahim and Sylhet have one thing in common, Mushfiq as an individual and Sylhet as a team are yet to win the Bangladesh Premier League title.
Rajin Saleh is the coach for Sylhet Strikers; a cricketer from Sylhet has played for the Bangladesh national team for a long time. However, the main strength of Sylhet Strikers is two Pakistani cricketers, Mohammad Haris and Mohammad Amir, who will not be available for the team for all matches. Similar to how Barishal structured their team last year, Sylhet has recruited a number of all-rounders to provide balance and versatility to their lineup in this T20 tournament.
The team has Imad Wasim, Thisara Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, and Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl. Colin Ackermann, who caught the eye in T20 World Cup, will also play for Sylhet.
Read More: BPL 2023: All Teams Squad, Captain, Players List details
Who will Win the BPL 2023?
Comparing all seven teams, Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal have a great chance of winning the tournament. Both teams have some star players with good form. For Comilla, Litton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaun Williams can make a difference and lead the team to another BPL title.
On the other hand, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz can play a big role in Fortune Barishal. Apart from these two stars, Mahmudullah Riyad and Chaturanga de Silva can help the team win from the middle order.
Final Words
In the Bangladesh Premier League tournament, the Franchises are erratic and changed ownership several times. Even no cricketer has played for the same team for a long time, as seen in Indian Premier League with Virat Kohli in Bangalore and MS Dhoni in Chennai. As the only T20 tournament in Bangladesh, the BPL provides an opportunity for domestic cricketers to showcase their skills in the T20 format and earn a wage.
Read More: BPL 2023: Icon Players, Complete schedule – Dates, Venues & Match Time
BPL is primarily a bowling-based T20 league. In the group stage, we hardly see any big innings in Mirpur and Sylhet. We may see a little run in Chittagong. That’s why teams go into the draft with the idea of strengthening the bowling first. And the same goes for this year too. So, the teams’ fate will depend on the bowlers’ performance. So, Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal will remain ahead in the race to win BPL 2023.
BPL becomes the unwitting butt of jokes
The latest edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has been marred by chaotic scenes descending to comedy, as teams make puzzling decisions when selecting their captains and players express their outrage at umpire rulings.
In the opening match of day two of the latest season of Bangladesh's premier T20 tournament, Soumya Sarkar, a Dhaka Dominators batsman, was initially declared out, but the decision was later overturned to not-out.
The on-field umpire called Soumya Sarkar of Khulna Tigers out after Nasum Ahmed managed to hit his pads, but Soumya wasn't convinced and requested a review. After the third umpire declared him out on the giant screen following a review, the decision was overturned instantly, and the batter was ultimately declared not out.
The entire episode was a source of controversy, as the authorities were unable to utilize DRS - a widely used technology that can clearly determine if the batter is out or not in such situations.
Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh's ODI captain and a senior player from Khulna, was seen vehemently protesting the umpire's decision after Soumya was controversially declared not out following a review.
It was not the only controversy of the day.
Read more: “If I were CEO of BPL, it’d take me 1 or 2 months to make necessary changes”: Shakib
Ahead of the second match of the day, Fortune Barishal - a franchisee playing their first match of the season - declared they would determine their captain prior to each match, prompting laughter from the followers of the event.
The cricketing world was surprised when, instead of Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz was seen performing the toss on Saturday for Barishal. This was in contrast to the expectations that Shakib would lead the team, as he had done the previous season. But then, the team made a rare announcement – the captain will now be determined ahead of each match!
It appears that Barishal may have a new captain for their next match, and possibly for upcoming matches too!
Another hilarious episode occurred when Mushfiqur Rahim stepped in to perform the toss for Sylhet Strikers in place of their usual captain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. It was later discovered that Mashrafe was unable to be present for the toss due to personal matters.
The Strikers' playing XI sheet, provided to the media by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), bears the signature of Mushfiqur at the top of captain Mashrafe's name, accompanied by the handwritten text— "on behalf of".
They, however, tried to come up with a hint for a joke that they would crack!
Read more: BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL
BPL Fixtures 2023: Icon Players, Complete schedule – Dates, Venues & Match Time
Another season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is waiting to start in the new year, and fans are already buzzing with excitement. The ninth edition of this franchise-based T20 tournament will kick off on January 6, with the match between Chittagong Challengers and Sylhet Strikers.
This year’s tournament is sure to be a thrilling spectacle, with some of the biggest names in cricket set to take the field. The BPL has always been known for its star-studded line-ups, and this year is no exception. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the complete schedule of the 2023 BPL on Saturday. This article will cover the BPL 2023 event's complete schedule, key players for each BPL team, and venues.
Read More: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed
BPL 2023 at a Glance
Opening Match: January 6, 2023.
Final Match: February 16, 2023
Duration: 42 days
Cricket Format: T20
Tournament Format: Double round-robin and playoffs
Number of Teams: 7
Total Match: 46
Venues: Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet.
Read More: BPL 2023: Salahuddin laments lack of DRS
BPL 2023: Complete Schedule
Table: Schedule of BPL 2023
Date
Match
Venue
Time
Jan 06, Fri
Chattogram Challengers vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:30 PM
Comilla Victorians vs Rangpur Riders
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:15 PM
Jan 07, Sat
Dhaka Dominators vs Khulna Tigers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Fortune Barishal vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 09, Mon
Comilla Victorians vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Chattogram Challengers vs Khulna Tigers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 10, Tue
Fortune Barishal vs Rangpur Riders
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Dhaka Dominators vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 13, Fri
Chattogram Challengers vs Fortune Barishal
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
02:30 PM
Khulna Tigers vs Rangpur Riders
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
07:15 PM
Jan 14, Sat
Comilla Victorians vs Fortune Barishal
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
02:00 PM
Chattogram Challengers vs Dhaka Dominators
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 16, Mon
Dhaka Dominators vs Sylhet Strikers
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
02:00 PM
Chattogram Challengers vs Comilla Victorians
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 17, Tue
Khulna Tigers vs Rangpur Riders
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
02:00 PM
Comilla Victorians vs Sylhet Strikers
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 19, Thu
Comilla Victorians vs Dhaka Dominators
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
02:00 PM
Fortune Barishal vs Rangpur Riders
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 20, Fri
Chattogram Challengers vs Khulna Tigers
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
02:30 PM
Dhaka Dominators vs Fortune Barishal
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
07:15 PM
Jan 23, Mon
Chattogram Challengers vs Rangpur Riders
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Comilla Victorians vs Dhaka Dominators
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 24, Tue
Fortune Barishal vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Khulna Tigers vs Dhaka Dominators
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 27, Fri
Rangpur Riders vs Sylhet Strikers, 25th Match
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
02:30 PM
Chattogram Challengers vs Fortune Barishal
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
07:15 PM
Jan 28, Sat
Comilla Victorians vs Khulna Tigers
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Chattogram Challengers vs Sylhet Strikers
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 30, Mon
Dhaka Dominators vs Rangpur Riders
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Khulna Tigers vs Sylhet Strikers
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Jan 31, Tue
Dhaka Dominators vs Fortune Barishal
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Comilla Victorians vs Khulna Tigers
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Feb 03, Fri
Fortune Barishal vs Khulna Tigers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:30 PM
Dhaka Dominators vs Rangpur Riders
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:15 PM
Feb 04, Sat
Chattogram Challengers vs Comilla Victorians
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Rangpur Riders vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Feb 07, Tue
Chattogram Challengers vs Dhaka Dominators
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Comilla Victorians vs Fortune Barishal
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Feb 08, Wed
Khulna Tigers vs Sylhet Strikers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Rangpur Riders vs Chattogram Challengers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Feb 10, Fri
Comilla Victorians vs Rangpur Riders
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
Fortune Barishal vs Khulna Tigers
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Feb 12, Sun
Eliminator
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
02:00 PM
1st Qualifier
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:00 PM
Feb 14, Tue
2nd Qualifier
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:15 PM
Feb 16, Thu
Final
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
07:15 PM
Read More: BPL 2023: All Teams Squad, Captain, Players List details
A total of 46 matches will be played in the 42-day cricket festival of seven teams. The matches will take place in three venues in Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet.. Two matches, one during the day and one during the night, will be played each day until the eliminator.As usual, this year’s BPL will start with the Dhaka phase.
In week days the the first match of the day will begin at 2 PM. The second match will be played at 7 PM in the evening. However, taking into account the audience on Friday, the BCB has slightly delayed the start time of the match. Friday’s matches will start at 2.30 PM. The evenging games will also start a bit later on this day of the week; instead of 7 PM, those matches will be played at 7:15 PM.
BPL 2023 will start with the match between Chittagong Challengers and Sylhet Strikers at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at 2:30 PM on January 6. Like the beginning, the Dhaka phase will also end with the Sylhet match, and the BPL will move to Chittagong after their match against Dhaka Dominators on the night of January 10.
Read More: 7 local cricketers get direct contracts in 2023 BPL
In the first match of the Chittagong phase, Fortune Barisal will fight against the hosts on January 13. The match will start at 2:30 PM. Barisal will also play the last match of this phase against Dhaka on the night of January 20. After that, BPL will return to Dhaka again.
After the four matches on January 23 and 24, the Sylhet phase will commence, with hosts Sylhet battling Rangpur Riders in the first match of the day on January 27. This phase will end with the match between Comilla Victorians and Khulna Tigers on January 31.
The Dhaka phase will start again with the match between Barisal and Khulna on February 3. All the remaining matches till the final will be held in Mirpur. The eliminator games will take place on February 12 at 2 PM, with the first qualifier for it beginning at 7 PM on the same day. The second qualifier will occur on February 14.
Read More: BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league
The second qualifier for the 2023 BPL will be held on February 14, with the final two days later on February 16. One reserve day will be each for the eliminator, qualifier, and final matches.
How to Watch BPL 2023 Live?
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 will be broadcast live on T-Sports and GTV. On these two channels from Bangladesh, enjoy the live game. If you are outside the country, you can watch BPL live on the following channels. Also, BPL can be watched from all over the world on Rabbitholebd Sports.
BPL 2023 Key Players
While there were no icon players in the auction, some players can take their team to the final. Let’s see some of the icon players in 2023 BPL.
Taskin Ahmed
Taskin Ahmed will play for Dhaka Dominators this season. He played for Sylhet Sunrisers last season but could not continue playing for them due to injury. So, he aims to give his full effort to perform his best.
Read More: BPL 2023: Mahmudullah in Barishal, Mushfiqur in Sylhet
Afif Hussain
Chattogram Challengers’ 2022 BPL captain Afif Hussain will also play for the same team this year. Despite not winning the title, the young batsman’s leadership caught the attention of the franchise. Chittagong is relying on Afif for this season of BPL.
Litton Das
With his recent deal with Kolkata Knight Riders, Litton Das will be playing more confidently with his BPL team Comilla Victorians. Since Litton has had great form recently, Comilla can expect an uninterrupted performance from him as the team is starting the tournament as defending champion.
Shakib Al Hasan
BPL 2022’s player of the series, Shakib Al Hasan, will surely put all his effort into Fortune Barishal. Apart from this, he won the five players of the match award. And he was also the third most wicket taker with 16 wickets.
Read More: BPL 2023: What Mashrafe, Perara and Amir can bring to Sylhet Strikers
Tamim Iqbal
Last year played for Minister Dhaka, and Tamim Iqbal will play for Khulna Tigers this year. Tamim had an excellent BPL season in 2022. With a total of 407 runs in 9 matches, Tamim was the third most run in the tournament.
Mashrafe Bin Murtaza
Mashrafe Bin Mortuza will be the icon and captain of Sylhet Strikers in BPL 2023. Although Mashrafe could not shine for Minister Dhaka in the 2022 season, he may lead Sylhet this year with his brilliant captaincy.
Mahmudullah Riyad
Mahmudullah will play for fortune Barishal. Although he did not get the team by direct sign-up, Mahmudullah has participated in all the seasons of BPL. With an average strike rate of more than 100, Mahmudullah has been consistent in BPL. He had some incredible performances with two players of the match award in last year’s BPL for Minister Dhaka.
Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur Rahim will be a key player for Sylhet Strikers this season. Although he did not have a good season last year with Khulna Tigers, this year, he is expected to put his full effort with Captain Mashrafe’s direction. Not to mention, Mushfiqur Rahim was the second player in BPL to touch the 2000 runs milestone in 2020.
Nurul Hasan Sohan
Nurul Hasan played for fortune Barishal last year and will play for Rangpur Raiders this year. Rangpur signed him up directly to be the captain of the team.
Read IPL Auction 2023: Sold Players List, Team, Major Players to watchMore:
BPL 2023 Venues
BPL will be played in three venues Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka; Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong; and Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
It is also known as Mirpur stadium. Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium will host 26 matches of BPL 2023, including the opening match and final match of the tournament. It has a capacity of around 26,000 which means around 26,000 people can enjoy a BPL match at a time on this ground.
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
This stadium will host 12 BPL matches in the 2023 season. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium has a 22,000 capacity. Since the beginning of BPL, it has been one of the main venues for BPL. Apart from BPL, this stadium also hosted numerous international cricket tournaments.
Read More: 2022 Cricket Year Review: A Flashback of the Major Events
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
With an 18,500 capacity, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host 8 BPL matches in 2023. It hosted BPL for the first time in 2017. Apart from BPL, Sylhet hosted the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and 2014 ICC Women’s World Twenty20.
Final Words
Since this year’s winter seems to be more severe than previous years, there are possibilities to change the BPL 2023 schedule due to fog and extreme weather. However, if everything is alright, this schedule and order of matches and time will remain active.
BPL 2023: Salahuddin laments lack of DRS
The new season of the Bangladesh Premier League T20 (BPL) is just around the corner, and only five days before the first match, the authority confirmed that there would be no Decision Review System (DRS) for any matches prior to the play-offs.
This announcement came as a surprise to many, including Mohammad Salahuddin, coach of the Comilla Victorians, who expressed his dismay at the lack of DRS from the start of the tournament.
A total of seven teams are set to compete in this season. The new edition will take place in three different venues across Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet.
Read: Bangladesh Cricket in 2022: A peak to begin with, then mostly downhill
“Such a big cricket event, it would be a great pity if it does not have DRS,” Salahuddin said on Sunday during a practice session of his team.
“One wrong decision could turn out to be fatal for a team’s chances of winning the tournament. The board has earned considerable money, so I think they should invest in DRS. Moreover, they had plenty of time before the BPL commences,” he added.
It’s going to be the ninth edition of BPL.
Read: Russell Domingo Steps Down as Bangladesh Head Coach
The Victorians are the most successful team in BPL history, with three titles. Imrul Kayes, the left-handed opener, led the Victorians to the titles on two occasions.
Salahuddin announced that they have yet to decide who will captain the team for the upcoming BPL season, but hinted that they will likely continue to depend on Imrul's leadership.
Read More: BPL 2023: All Teams Squad, Captain, Players List details
BPL 2023: All Teams Squad, Captain, Players List details
The ninth season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will begin in the first week of January 2023. In the meantime, the player draft has been completed on November 23. Before the draft, however, the franchises started to organize the team. The teams already recruited cricketers through direct signing before the draft. Many local and foreign cricketers have got teams through direct signup. The rest of the listed players were left out for the draft. Let’s see the detailed BPL draft 2023 and know the players' names according to their teams.
BPL 2023: Players Category and Salaries
Table: Salary range of BPL players under different categories
Player Category
Base Salary (Taka)
A
80 lakh
B
50 lakh
C
30 lakh
D
20 lakh
E
15 lakh
F
10 lakh
G
5 lakh
This year player has been categorized into seven categories from ‘A’ to ‘G’. ‘A’ category players will get 80 lakh taka this season. The BPL 2023 salary for ‘B’ category players is 50 lakh taka. Remuneration in the 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' and 'G' categories is 30, 20, 15, 10 and 5 lakhs respectively.
Read More: BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league
BPL 2023 Draft: Teams and Signed Player List
The BPL players' draft was held on Wednesday, November 23 in an elite hotel in Dhaka. There are seven franchises in 2023 BPL. The seven teams are Dhaka Dominators, Chattogram Challengers, Comilla Victorians, Fortune Barishal, Khulna Tigers, Sylhet Strikers, and Rangpur Riders. More than 300 players were auctioned from home and abroad, while 137 players were sold.
Each team bought more than 15-22 players. While most of the players were sold during the draft some top ranked players such as Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mustafizur Rahman, and more were signed directly.
However, some top performers from previous tournaments did not get any team. Among them Ashraful and Mominul Islam were notable. Young opening batter Tanjid Hasan Tamim was also on this list.
Dhaka Dominators
Table: Player list of Dhaka Dominators in BPL 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Taskin Ahmed, Chamika Karunaratne (Sri Lanka), Dilshan Munaweera (Sri Lanka)
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Mohammad Mithun, Soumya Sarkar, Shoriful Islam, Arafat Sunny, Nasir Hossain, Al Amin Hossain, Shan Masood, Ahmad Shahzad, Alok Kapali, Monir Hossain Khan, Ariful Haque, Salman Irshad, Muktar Ali, Mizanur Rahman, Delwar Hossain
Foreign Players from Draft
Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan), Usman Ghani (Afghanistan), Salman Ershad.
Dhaka Dominators bought a total of 22 players and three of them were foreign players. Among these players Taskin, Chamika Karunaratne and Dilshan Munaweera were signed directly due to their recent performance Asia Cup and World Cup.
Read More: 7 local cricketers get direct contracts in 2023 BPL
Chattogram Challengers
Table: Player list of Chattogram Challengers in BPL 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Afif Hussain, Biswa Fernando (Sri Lanka), Ashan Priyanjan (Sri Lanka), Curtis Camper (Ireland).
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Mritunjoy Chowdhury, Shubhagat Hom Chowdhury, Mehdi Hasan Rana, Irfan Sukkur, Mehdi Maruf, Ziaur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Abu Zayed Rahi, Farhad Reza, Taufiq Khan Tushar
Foreign Players from Draft
Max O’Dowd (Netherlands), Open Moon (India/USA)
Chattogram Challengers has arranged their team with 16 players and they kept five foreign players in tehir squad. Among all these players Afif Hussian is a star player for the team and it is expected that he will give his best for the team.
Comilla Victorians
Table: Player list of Comilla Victorians in 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Mostafizur Rahman, Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan), Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan), Hasan Ali (Pakistan), Khushdil Shah (Pakistan), Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan), Abrar Ahmed (Pakistan).
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Liton Kumar Das, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Tanveer Islam, Imrul Kayes, Ashikuzzaman, Zaker Ali Anik, Saikat Ali, Abu Hyder Roni, Naeem Hasan, Mukidul Islam impressed.
Foreign Players from Draft
Shaun Williams (Zimbabwe), Chadwick Walton (West Indies).
3 times BPL winner Comilla Victorians seem to spend a huge amount of money this season as they have bought most star players including Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nabi, and Mostafizur Rahman. They have 19 players on their team with 7 foreign players.
Read More: BPL 2023: Mahmudullah in Barishal, Mushfiqur in Sylhet
Fortune Barishal
Table: Player list of Fortune Barishal in BPL 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Shakib Al Hasan, Iftekhar Ahmed (Pakistan), Mohammad Wasim Jr (Pakistan), Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan), Karim Janat (Afghanistan), Omar Qadir (Pakistan), Rahkeem Cornwell (West Indies), Kesrick Williams (West Indies ), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan).
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehdi Hasan Miraj, Ibadat Hossain, Enamul Haque Vijay, Kamrul Islam Rabi, Fazle Mahmud Rabi, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Saif Hasan, Kazi Anik, Sanjamul Islam, Salman Hossain.
Foreign Players from Draft
Haider Ali (Pakistan), Chaturanga de Silva (Sri Lanka).
Fortune Barishal has yet to win a BPL cup, but it seems in 2023 they have a strong wish to win it. From Shakib Al Hasan to Mahmudullah Riyad, they have made a team with a mix of experienced and young players consisting of 22 cricketers. Among them, 10 players are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.
Khulna Tigers
Table: Player list of Khulna Tigers in BPL 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Tamim Iqbal, Abiska Fernando (Sri Lanka), Wahab Riaz (Pakistan), Naseem Shah (Pakistan), Azam Khan (Pakistan).
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Mohammad Saifuddin, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nasum Ahmed, Nahidul Islam, Munim Shahriar, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiqul Islam, Pritam Kumar, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy.
Foreign Players from Draft
Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka), Paul Mikrin (Sri Lanka).
Registered in 2012, previously known as Khulna Titans, the franchise is yet to win a tournament. This year they have created a team with 11 Bangladeshi players and 6 foreign players. Tamim Iqbal is the captain of the Khulna Tigers.
Read More: BPL 2023: What Mashrafe, Perara and Amir can bring to Sylhet Strikers
Sylhet Strikers
Table: Player list of Sylhet Strikers in BPL 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Mohammad Amir (Pakistan), Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe), Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka), Dhananjaya de Silva (Sri Lanka), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka).
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Mushfiqur Rahim, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Rezaur Rahman Raja, Nabeel Samad, Tauhid Hriday, Rubel Hossain, Zakir Hasan, Nazmul Islam Apu, Akbar Ali, Mohammad Sharifullah, Tanjim Hasan Shakib.
Foreign Players from Draft
Tom Moores, Gulbdin Naib
Founded in 2012, this franchise has changed its name 7 times in the last 10 years and will be known as Sylhet Strikers in the 2023 to 2025 season. They made 20 man squad keeping Mashrafe bin Mortaza as the captain. However, they have spent most of their money on foreign players.
Rangpur Riders
Table: Player list of Rangpur Riders in BPL 2023
Players from Direct Contract
Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Pathum Nishanka (Sri Lanka), Haris Rauf (Pakistan), Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan), Jeffrey Vandersee (Sri Lanka), Sikandar Raja (Zimbabwe).
Bangladeshi Players from Draft
Sheikh Mehdi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Naeem Sheikh, Rakibul Hasan, Shamim Patwari, Ripon Mondal, Roni Talukder, Parvez Hussain Imon, Rabiul Haque, Alauddin Babu.
Foreign Players from Draft
Azmatullah Omurzai (Afghanistan), Aaron Jones (USA).
Won the 5th edition of BPL by defeating Dhaka Dynamites in the final, Rangpur Raiders emphasized spending for the top-level foreign player and middle-range Bangladeshi players. They have bought a total of 19 players including 7 foreign players.
Read More: BPL 2023: Syhet Strikers ropes in Mashrafe, Amir, Perera
Final Words
According to BPL 2023 draft, the seven teams have spent approximately 22 crore taka on Bangladeshi and foreign players. Among them, Barishal has spent more money. If everything goes well, the ninth season of BPL will start on January 5, 2023, and will end on February 16. The tenth season of BPL will start on January 6 next year and will continue till February 17. BPL 2025 will be from January 1 to February 11.
BPL 2023: Syhet Strikers ropes in Mashrafe, Amir, Perera
As the first franchise of this year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Sylhet Strikers named their icon players and some important foreign recruits.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former captain of Bangladesh national team, is the icon of Sylhet Strikers. They also roped in Pakistan pace-bowling star Mohammad Amir along with Sri Lankan stars Thisara Perera, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.
They have announced it in their logo unveiling ceremony on Wednesday in a Dhaka hotel.
Read: BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league
Sylhet have also named Rajin Saleh, the former national team captain, as their assistant coach and Nafis Iqbal as their team manager respectively.
A total of seven teams will participate in this year's BPL which will begin in early January 2023.
BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league
There was a time when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials used to claim that the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) was the second-best T20 cricket league in the world. According to them, the BPL was positioned right after the Indian Premier League (IPL). But now, they say, they are working to make the BPL "one of the best leagues" in the country.
The next season of the BPL is slated to be played from early January to mid-February, 2023. BCB has already drafted the names of the owners of the seven participating franchises. If all goes well, the franchises will be finalized soon after the prospective owners pay the bank guarantee of BDT 100 million.
Read: Shakib Al Hasan shines in Caribbean Premier League
At least two other leagues are scheduled to be played at the same time as the BPL. As a result, the BPL may not be able to attract the attention of the best foreign players. Many have already signed contracts with teams in the other two leagues, one of which will be held in the United Arab Emirates and the other in South Africa.
Ismail Haider Mallick, member secretary of the BPL governing council, today said, "BPL was a good T20 event when there were not many leagues like it."
"Now too many leagues are there – CPL is happening, PSL is here, UAE is going to host a league and South Africa is also on the scene. Now, it’s tough to compare (BPL) with other (international) leagues. We want to make it one of the best domestic leagues. "
Read: BPL Governing Council announces names of seven BPL franchises
The first edition of the BPL was played in 2012. Four years after that, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) started the Pakistan Super League (PSL). While BPL is still trying to establish its brand, PSL is generating a lot of money for PCB.
"It costs a lot to host an event like BPL," Ismail added. "To make it bigger, we have to sell the ownership of a franchise for a lot of money. But the reality is, we cannot even host it as a home-and-away event. We don’t have enough venues for it. What we are looking forward to is making it one of our best domestic events. "
Since BPL may fail to attract the attention of foreign players this season, BCB is going to relax conditions. Ismail said a franchise will be able to sign a foreign player at any point of the tournament, and they will also be able to sign a foreign player for any period of time.
Read: Bangladesh champions of ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022
It means if a franchise gets a player for only two matches, they are allowed to sign the player. At the same time, Ismail said, a franchise can play two foreign players in a match instead of four.
BCB has already fixed the remuneration of the players. According to BCB, the local players in the A category will get BDT 8 million, while the players in the lowest category will generate half a million taka.
Every team is allowed to sign one local player directly out of the draft, but there is no limit to signing a foreign player. The BCB will not decide how much money a team will pay to recruit a foreign cricketer outside the draft.
Read: A narrow escape: Bangladesh beat UAE by 7 runs in 1st T20
BPL Football :Champions Bashundhara Kings end campaign on winning note
Bashundhara Kings, which earned the hattrick title of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, today (Saturday) completed their engagement in the 12-team ongoing league with winning note beating three times champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by 2-1 goals in their last match at home venue-- Bashundhara Sports Complex in the city The coveted trophy of the prestigious league was handed over to the champions Bashundhara Kings after the day's match amid huge enthusiasm from their home crowd. BFF Senior Vice President and Chairman of the Professional League Committee Abdus Salam Murshedy MP was the chief guest at the function. In the day's match, midfielder Motin Miah put the Kings ahead in the very 8th minute of the match (1-0) while Brazilian player cum Kings captain Robson Robinho assured the team victory scoring the 2nd goal in the 53rd minute (2-0)Shohanur Rahman netted the lone goal for Sheikh Jamal in the 69th minute (2-1) Bishwanath Ghosh of the Kings and Sheikh Jamal's Uzbek striker Otabek got marching order after receiving the red cards just 10 minutes before the final whistle. The first phase match between two teams ended in 3-3 draw. Bashundhara Kings, which earned a rare feat of clinching the hattrick title of BPL Football earlier with two matches to spare, celebrated their league crown by winning the last two vital league matches, beating six time champions Dhaka Abahani and three times champions Sheikh Jamal DC The Bashundhara Kings made a frustrating start in the league losing the league opener to newcomers Swadhinata KS, but remained unbeaten in the remaining 21 matches to win league trophy comfortably securing 57 points from 22 encounters, with 18 wins, three draw and one defeat.Last times runners-up Sheikh Jamal DC finished 4th in the league securing 35 points with nine wins, eight draw and five defeats after league runners up Dhaka Abahani and the 3rd ranked Saif SC .
Read: BPL Football: Bashundhara Kings maintain winning streak
This was the first hattrick title for Bashundhara Kings and the 2nd hattrick title in the BPL history after Dhaka Abahani, which won the BPL crown for a record six times, including first three times in row in the year 2007, 2008-2009, 2009-2010. Bashundhara Kings, which were deprived of this season's two major soccer trophies, the Independence Cup and Federation Cup Football, clinched the league title convincingly beating Dhaka Abahani after three matches.
BPL Football: Sheikh Russel KC beat Rahmatganj MFS by 3-2 goal
Former champions Sheikh Russel KC beat Rahmatganj MFS by 3-2 goal in the 21st round match of the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football'2022 at Bir Shreshtho Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Wednesday. Midfielder Dipok Roy scored twice in the 66th and 76th minutes while Ghana forward Richard Gadze netted the other goal for Sheikh Russel KC in the 37th minute .Tajikistan defender Siyovush Asrorov scored both the goals for the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS in the 83rd and 90+5 minutes.In the day's another league match, Dhaka Mohammedan SC played 1-1 draw with Bangladesh Police FC at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi on Wednesday. Malian booter Souleymane Diabate scored first for the traditional black and white Mohammedan in the 28th minute while Ivory Coast forward Cristian Kouakou restored the parity for Police FC just four minutes later. The day's other league match between Chittagong Abahani and Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad KC also ended in 1-1 draw at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj The freedom fighters team Muktijoddha SKC took lead in the very 2nd minute of the match by a Tariqul Islam goal (1-0) while Nigerian forward Candy neutralized the margin for Chittagong Abahani in the 39th minute (1-1) After the day's 21st round matches, Dhaka Mohammedan SC advanced to the 5th slot with 30 points, Bangladesh Police SC remained at 6th slot also with 30 points (due to poor goal differences), Sheikh Russel KC is in the 7th place with 28 points, Chittagong Abahani is in the 8th slot with 28 points, Rahmatganj MFS is in the 9th place with 18 points while Muktijoddha SKC is in the 10th slot with 16 points.Earlier, Bashundhara Kings earned a rare feat of clinching the hattrick title of BPL Football securing 54 points from 21 matches with 17 win, three draw and one defeat against relegation bound and new comers Swadhinata KS in opener.SIx time champions Dhaka Abahani assured league runners up position distantly collecting 44 points from 21 encounters with 13 win, five draw and three defeats.
Also read: BPL Football: Saif SC advance to 3rd slot crushing Uttar Baridhara 7-0
BPL Football: Muktijoddha upset Mohammedan 2-1
Muktijoddha Sangsad upset Dhaka Mohammedan 2-1 in the 20th round match of the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj Thursday.
Burundian forward Sudi Abdullah scored both goals for Muktijoddha in the 26th and 69th minutes. Nigerian midfielder Ugochukwu Obi Moneka pulled one back for the Black and Whites in the 89th.
With the day's victory, Muktijoddha moved to the 10th spot in the league table after securing 15 points from 20 matches. Dhaka Mohammedan remained in the fifth spot with 29 points from 20 matches.
In the day's other match, former champions Sheikh Russel outplayed Bangladesh Police 4-1 at the Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka.
Nigerian forward Ismahil Akinade scored twice for Sheikh Russel in the 45th and 56th minutes, Ghanaian striker Richard Gadze and Ivory Coast player Didier Brossou scored one each in the 49th and 70th minutes.
Amiruddin Sharifi scored a consolation goal for Police in the 51st minute.
Despite the day's win, Sheikh Russel remained in the 8th spot after securing 25 points from 20 matches and Police in sixth place with 29 points from 20 matches.
In the day's other match, Rahmatganj crushed bottom-placed Swadhinata 5-1 at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi. Sunday Chizoba scored a hattrick Rahmatganj.
Ghanaian forward Philip Adijat and local midfielder Sanwar Hossain scored one each in the 28th and 86th minutes.
Read: BPL Football: Uttar Baridhara force Ctg Abahani to play 2-2 draw
Serbian Ivan Maric netted the lone goal for Swadhinata in the 56th minute.
Despite the day's victory, Rahmatganj remained rooted at the ninth spot with 18 points from 20 matches. Bottom-placed Swadhinata earned nine points from 20 encounters.
After the day's 20th round matches, Swadhinata (9 points), Uttara Baridhara (14 points) and Muktijoddha (15 points) and Rahmatganj MFS (18 points) are left looking over their shoulders at the relegation trap door.
Earlier, Bashundhara Kings stormed past Saif Sporting 2-0 to lift their third Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football title in a row winning a fierce encounter at Bir Shrestha Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj Monday.
Before Monday's match, the Kings earned 49 points in 19 matches. They needed just one win in their remaining three matches against Saif Monday, Dhaka Abahani on July 24 and Sheikh Jamal on July 30 to lift the title for the third time in a row after Dhaka Abahani.
The Sky Blue Brigade clinched the BPL title for a record six times, including three times in a row.
The Kings were crowned champions after securing 51 points from 20 matches with 16 wins, three draws and one loss.
Independence Cup and Federation Cup champions Dhaka Abahani secured 44 points from 20 matches.