Sohan seeks professionalism in BPL Cricket
Agency :
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) aimed to present a revamped Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) this year, but despite some visible efforts, the tournament’s overall improvement remains underwhelming.
Both the BCB and franchise teams have failed to demonstrate significant professionalism, with several franchises exhibiting glaring unprofessional behavior, according to Rangpur Riders Captain Nurul Hasan Sohan. He believes greater professionalism, akin to that of Rangpur and Barishal, could attract more spectators to the matches.
On the very first day of the tournament, Durbar Rajshahi sparked controversy when their players did not receive match jerseys on time. As a result, captain Anamul Haque Bijoy had to appear for the toss wearing a practice jersey-a rare and shocking sight in professional cricket. Adding to the issues, Rajshahi’s most contentious matter has been the non-payment of players’ salaries.
After playing six matches without receiving their dues, players like Taskin Ahmed and Anamul Haque boycotted practice in Chattogram and even threatened to skip matches.
Midway through the tournament, the franchise further demonstrated its lack of professionalism by abruptly changing captains. Bijoy, despite scoring a century against Khulna Tigers, was replaced by Taskin Ahmed just two hours before a match against Chittagong Kings.
Addressing the situation, Sohan commented, “Rangpur and Barishal have strong fan bases, and Sylhet and Chattogram attract large crowds. If franchises are run professionally, more spectators will come to the stadiums. That’s the key. We need to understand that professionalism in the BPL is crucial. There are areas where teams can improve significantly, and if managed properly, the league will see greater engagement.”
Meanwhile, Rangpur Riders have enjoyed a stellar season, winning eight consecutive matches before losing to Durbar Rajshahi by 24 runs on Thursday. Sohan sees this loss as a wake-up call ahead of the playoffs.
Reflecting on the defeat, Sohan stated, “You can’t win every match, but this loss is an alarm for us. To win, we need to play good cricket. It’s not realistic to expect to win without putting in the effort. We’ll focus on coming back stronger from here.”