Bangladesh Premier League
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
“If I were CEO of BPL, it’d take me 1 or 2 months to make necessary changes”: Shakib
When there is silence over the management of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ahead of its ninth season kick-off on Friday in Dhaka, Shakib Al Hasan has slammed the governing authority, saying he could have solved all the issues if he were the CEO of BPL.
A total of seven teams will be competing in this year's BPL. Each team is allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players per match; however, teams are uncertain about their ability to do so, as most foreign players are not arriving before the tournament commences, with some joining after a few matches, some leaving after a few games, and some returning in between.
Shakib said this “mess” is happening because of poor and inefficient management.
“If I am given the CEO role, I am confident I can make changes. I anticipate that it will take a maximum of one to two months to implement the necessary changes to fix everything,” Shakib responded to the question of what he would have done if he was the CEO.
Shakib was recently appointed as the brand ambassador of a global oil company, and he was the one-day CEO of this company. He talked to the media today.
Read more: The times Shakib Al Hasan found himself in controversies
“A do-it-yourself situation,” Shakib hinted at the management of BPL. “This makes our Dhaka Premier League (DPL) better than BPL as the teams in DPL can prepare themselves a few months before the league.”
The BCB is failing to implement DRS technology from the beginning of BPL. However, the board has stated that DRS will be available for the play-off phase of the tournament.
As of January 4, it remains uncertain who will be broadcasting the most prestigious cricket event in Bangladesh, and what revenue the BCB will be able to generate from the broadcast rights.
Shakib believes that BCB has failed to adequately market the BPL, which he considers to be a major shortcoming of the board.
Read more: Shakib Al Hasan shines in Caribbean Premier League
“When a player performs well in the Big Bash, PSL, or CPL, they are rewarded with a chance to join the national team. However, the BPL has not gained the same level of attention, which is disheartening,” Shakib said.
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 Football begins on Friday at three venues
The eleven-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, country’s most prestigious football competition, begins on Friday (December 9) at three venues in the capital and in district headquarters.
Holders and Independence Cup champions Bashundhara Kings will play newcomer Azampur Football Club, Uttara at Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka, Dhaka Abahani Limited will face Fortis Football Club Ltd at Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla while Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will meet Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj, all matches will kick off at 2:30 pm on the opening day (Friday).
In the remaining first round matches, Dhaka Mohammedan SC Ltd will encounter Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad KC Ltd at Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla while Independence Cup finalist Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra will play Bangladesh Police FC at Bashundhara Sports Complex, both will kick-off at 2:30 pm.
The 2nd round league matches will be held on December 23-24 after a 12-day recess for the victory day while the 3rd round matches will be held on December 30-31 after the Christmas Day.
The first phase league scheduled to be completed on February 18 as per fixture announced by Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Thursday.
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.
7 local cricketers get direct contracts in 2023 BPL
As the date of the players’ draft of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 coming up, Bangladesh Cricket Board revealed the names of the local players who got the direct contracts.
The players’ draft of this year’s BPL is scheduled to take place on November 23, and the event will take place in early January next year.
A total of seven teams will participate in this year’s BPL, and every team got the chance to rope in one local player before the draft.
Read more: U-19 cricket: Bangladesh, Pakistan T20 series ends in a draw
Chattogram Challengers have signed up Afif Hossain while Cumilla Victorians roped in Mustafiuzur Rahman.
The Dhaka team brought in Taskin Ahmed while Fortune Barishal, Khulna Tigers, Rangpur Riders and Sylhet Strikers have signed up Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Nurul Hasan Sohan and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza respectively.
While the teams are allowed to take only one local player directly, they can rope in foreign players at will.
Read more: Saifuddin registers five wickets on Bangladesh Cricket League opening day
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 Governing Council announces names of seven BPL franchises
After detailed evaluation and assessment of the EOI documents submitted by the intending franchise owners, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 Governing Council has finalized seven BPL franchises and invited them to complete the process of securing Franchise Ownership Rights for the next three (9th, 10th, and 11th) editions of the tournament.
Read: Bangladesh champions of ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022The next BPL will be held in January-February of 2023, with seven franchisees competing. The selected seven franchises are: Barishal (Fortune Barishal Sports Ltd), Khulna (Mindtree Limited), Dhaka (Progoti Green Auto Rice Mills Ltd), Sylhet (Future Sports Bangladesh Limited) and Rangpur (Toggi Sports-Bashundhara Group). Chattogram (Delta Sports Ltd.) and Cumilla (Cumilla Legends Limited). All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's Monarch Padma (Morarch Mart Limited) was not selected as a BPL franchise. Besides, two well-known franchises—Beximco (Dhaka) and Gemicon Group (Khulna)—were not interested this time.
Read: A narrow escape: Bangladesh beat UAE by 7 runs in 1st T20
BPL Football: Police move to 5th slot beating Swadhinata KS 1-0
Bangladesh Police moved to the fifth spot in the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football after beating newcomers Swadhinata KS 1-0 at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi Monday.
Afghan forward Amiruddin Sharifi scored the match-winner for Police in the 71st minute from a penalty (1-0).
With the day's feat, Police moved to the fifth spot, securing 28 points from 18 matches. Swadhinata remained at the bottom of the table with nine points after playing as many matches.
In the day's other match, Rahmatganj crushed Muktijoddha 7-1 at the Bir Sreshtho Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj.
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Ghanaian forward Philip Adjah and Nigerian striker Sunday Chizoba scored two goals each; Al Amin, Ivorian defender Lancine Toure and Ashraful Islam netted one each for Rahmatganj, who dominated the first half 2-1.
Obaidur pulled one back Muktijoddha in the stoppage time of the first half.
With the day's result, Rahmatganj moved to the ninth spot, securing 14 points from 19 matches. Muktijoddha remained at the 11th spot with 11 points from 18 matches.
BPL Football: Saif deal killer blow to Dhaka Abahani with 4-2 win
Six times champions Dhaka Abahani and Chittagong Abahani had a day to forget in the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football Sunday.
At the Bir Sreshtho Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj, Federation Cup and Independence Cup champions Dhaka Abahani saw their title hopes fade. Saif Sporting beat them 4-2.
With the day's result, Dhaka Abahani slipped up in the title race with 38 points from 18 matches, seven points behind defending champions and league leader Bashundhara Kings, which bagged 45 points from the same number of matches.
Saif regained the third spot in the league table, securing 33 points from 18 matches.
In the day's match, Nigerian forward Mfon Udoh put Saif ahead in the 14th minute (1-0). Abahani's Brazilian striker Dorielton Gomes restored parity in the 35th (1-1).
Abahani defender Monir Hossain scored an own goal in the 40th minute much to the delight of Saif fans (2-1).
Rahimuddin netted the third goal for Saif in the 65th minute and Rwandan defender Emery Bayisenge scored one more in the 73rd (4-1).
Costa Rican player Daniel Colindres pulled one back for Abahani in the 95th minute from a penalty (4-2).
In the day's other match, former champions Sheikh Jamal beat Chittagong Abahani 2-0 at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla.
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Uzbek attacking midfielder Otabek Valizhonov scored both goals for Sheikh Jamal in the 29th and 78th minutes.
Despite the day's win, Sheikh Jamal remained at the fourth spot in the league table, securing 33 points from 18 matches.
Chittagong Abahani remained at the sixth spot with 26 points from 18 matches.
In the day's other match, Sheikh Russel beat Uttar Baridhara 5-3 at the Bashundhara Sports Complex.
Nigerian forward Ismahil Akinade scored twice; Mohammad Jewel, Nasiruddin and Mannaf Rabbi scored one each for Sheikh Russel.
Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara manage 1-1 draw against Mohammedan
Samim Yasir Juel, Maruf Ahmed and Asadul Islam Sakib netted one each for Uttar Baridhara.
After the match, Sheikh Russel remained at the eighth spot in the table, securing 21 points from 18 matches. The ninth-placed Uttar Baridhara earned 13 points from 19 matches.