Rajshahi look to add South African players for BPL squad

Agency :

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to feature a new franchise this season, Rajshahi Warriors. Even before the players’ auction, the team created a major buzz by signing Bangladesh Test Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto and limited-overs opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim. Later, they added Tanzim Hasan Sakib from the auction. Among local young talents, Rajshahi have hinted at building a strong squad with the inclusion of Akbar Ali, Ripon Mondol, Jishan Alam, and Hasan Murad.

In the overseas category, they have already secured Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Nawaz, while picking Dushan Hemantha and Jahandad Khan from the auction. However, the franchise will not have access to their Pakistan and Sri Lanka players during the mid-phase of the tournament. Both national teams will be engaged in a three-match T20I series in January as part of their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup. As a result, franchises will be required to release players selected for national duty.

Considering this situation, Rajshahi are working on alternative options and planning to bring in players from South Africa. Team owner Mokhsedul Kamal Babu confirmed the development while speaking to the media.

“We have plans involving players from South Africa and a few other places. We are not revealing those names yet, but you will know soon. Since Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s series coincides with the BPL window, some of our Pakistani players may be unavailable at that time. So, we are preparing to add more foreign players to the squad,” He said.

Speaking about Rajshahi’s overall team structure, he added,
“This time, you must have noticed that Rajshahi’s team looks different from previous seasons. We wanted to build a professional cricket team, and that’s exactly what we focused on. We want to bring the trophy home, and we will give our maximum effort to achieve that.”