Sylhet Sixers opt for Liton Das from the A+ category
© Cricfrenzy
||Desk Report||
The Bangladesh Premier League players’ draft is scheduled to be held on October 25 and the participating teams were asked to submit their players’ retention list by September 30. Each franchise has been allowed to retain up to four players.
A+ category is the reintroduced version of ‘icon cricketers’ for the upcoming edition. Liton Das and Mustafizur Rahman had been added to this category alongside Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah Riyad.
Chittagong Vikings’ last-moment refusal to take part in the tournament might turn it into a six-team competition in the upcoming season, which will start on January 5 next year.
Sylhet Sixers retained one less cricketer than the predetermined quota as they named Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, and Sohail Tanvir in their players’ retention list. Sabbir was their icon cricketer last season, but he could not make it to the A+ category this time as he was handed a six-month international ban by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
However, Sylhet have recently added Liton Das as their A+ category player. The right-hander played for Comilla Victorians last season, who decided not to retain him as they already have an A+ category player in their captain from the last season – Tamim Iqbal.
Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Saifuddin, and Shoaib Malik are the other three cricketers retained by the Comilla-based franchise.
The reigning champions, Rangpur Riders, made no surprise move at the first stage of their team-formation as they have retained Chris Gayle, Mohammad Mithun, and Nazmul Islam, along with Mashrafe.
Mashrafe led the team to their first title in the tournament last year and ended the competition as the highest wicket-taker for his side. Considering his prominence as a captain and a player, Rangpur retained the fast-bowler.
The other two players on their list, Mithun and Nazmul have also been instrumental in Bangladesh’s success in white-ball in the recent times.
“We've retained Chris Gayle, Apu (Nazmul Islam), Mashrafe, and Mithun. We are releasing Rubel [Hossain] and [Brendon] McCullum. Chris Gayle won us the title [last season]. So we had to keep him. He is a player worth being retained,” a Rangpur Riders source said.
The runners-up of the last season, Dhaka Dynamites have also retained their captain from the last season, Shakib, alongside three other West Indies cricketers – Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, and Kieron Pollard.
Rajshahi Kings are the only side among these four teams, to have released their captain from the previous edition. They have retained Mominul Haque, Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, and Zakir Hasan.
Rajshahi Kings CEO Tahmid Azizul Haque confirmed that Mushfiqur was released considering the team combination as they have already retained Mustafizur from the A+ category.
“We can have only one icon [A+ category player]. We had two icons in our team. We had to release Mushfiq due to the team’s planning, strategy, and combination. We're retaining Zakir. Considering the schedule, we will need a local fast bowler at that time. Mustafiz is certainly the best in this regard.”
Khulna Titans, too, have retained their captain and A+ category player Mahmudullah. Ariful Haque, Nazmul Hossain, and Carlos Brathwaite are other three cricketers who will be seen in the same BPL outfit next season.
