The seventh edition of Bangladesh's flagship domestic tournament opens in Dhaka this week, and The Cricketer has all the information you need to know
Bangladesh's premier T20 tournament returns this week for its seventh edition, complete with new-look teams and completely overhauled squads. Officially known as Banghabandhu BPL 2019 in honour of the 100th birthday of the country's first president, Tamim Iqbal's Dhaka Platoon will take the field hunting their fourth title after losing in last year's final.
This year's competition kicks off at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on December 11, with Chattogram Challengers playing Sylhet Thunder at 1:30pm before Cumilla Warriors and Rangpur Rangers face off in an evening clash, starting at 6:30pm.
Double-headers like this make up the entirety of the group stage, with teams also heading to Chattogram and Sylhet for bursts of round-robin action before returning to Dhaka to finalise the league table across the final four rounds, concluding on January 11.
A week of playoff action in the capital city then rounds off the tournament, with the final set to take place under lights on January 17.
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Whilst previous editions of the BPL have been contested by private franchises, as in the IPL, this year's competition comes entirely under the rule of the Bangladesh Cricket Board itself.
This follows clashes between the board and several team owners since the tournament's last edition concluded in February, with issues including tournament scheduling (with 2019-20's edition set to start earlier than in previous years) and the nullification of existing player contracts.
The board has stipulated that teams must have overseas coaches and feature both a genuine fast bowler and a leg-spinner, with the latter obliged to fulfil their four-over quota in each game. However ESPNcricinfo has reported that only three of the seven franchises currently have the necessary players to fulfil this.
A knock-on effect of the BCB's takeover is that player salaries are believed to be significantly reduced compared to previous tournaments, with fewer international superstars appearing this time around as a result. Sunil Narine, David Warner, AB de Villiers and Alex Hales are just a few examples, and Chris Gayle – who had claimed to have been drafted to the Chattogram Challengers without his knowledge this time around – is set to only appear for the latter stages of the tournament.
Whilst the format remains the same as last year – regular T20 matches, with each team playing each other twice in the group stage and the top four sides making the playoffs – the seven teams each have new names and looks, with squads rebuilt from the ground up from a pool of 439 overseas and 181 local players at last month's draft.
Last year's tournament saw Cumilla Warriors – under their previous guise as Comilla Victorians – claim their second title, beating Shakib al Hasan's perennial contenders Dhaka Dynamites by 17 runs in the final. That was in no small part thanks to Tamim Iqbal, who blasted an unbeaten 141 from 61 deliveries to give his side a defendable total of 199 for 3.
After winning last year's tournament with Comilla Victorians, Wahab Riaz and Tamim Iqbal will represent Dhaka Platoon this season
However, this year's draft has left the Warriors looking a completely changed team, with Tamim and fellow champion players Wahab Riaz, Shahid Afridi and Thisara Perera all now set to line up for the Dhaka side. Veteran Bangladesh seamer (and sometime politician) Mashrafe Mortaza is a likely choice to skipper the side, which looks a strong candidate to claim a fourth BPL crown.
Malan and Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman are Cumilla's flagship signings for this season, and they will be tasked with defending the crown alongside Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa and a core of Bangladesh regulars, including Soumya Sarkar and Al-Amin Hossain. Former West Indies and South Africa coach Ottis Gibson takes the reins from Mohammad Salahuddin.
Having missed out on last year's playoffs on net run rate, the Rajshahi side made their intentions clear with the post-draft signings of premier short-form specialists Andre Russell and Shoaib Malik. The team, coached by Owais Shah, also boasts the country's leading wicketkeeper Liton Das and former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara, and young opener Hazratullah Zazai will be looking to set the Royals' innings off to a flying start after a disappointing Abu Dhabi T10 campaign.
Early favourites with the bookmakers is the Rangpur Rangers side, which has complemented leading international talent (including Bangladesh quick Mustafizur Rahman and destructive Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi) with canny squad-focused recruitment. Somerset's Tom Abell and Lewis Gregory will look to continue their blistering T20 Blast form alongside circuit regular Cameron Delport, and fledgling local bowlers Mohammad Naim and Rishad Hossain are two of the most promising youngsters in the national system.
Teenage spinner Rishad Hossain could be a major beneficiary of the BCB's decision to mandate four overs of leg-breaks per innings
Elsewhere, Leicestershire boss Paul Nixon makes a return to the international T20 circuit as coach of Chattogram Challengers, who will hope overseas signings like Imad Wasim, Lendl Simmons, Kesrick Williams and Chris Gayle can find success alongside national stalwarts Mahmudullah and Imrul Kayes. Fellow veteran county gloveman James Foster, meanwhile, takes charge of Khulna Tigers, who are led by Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan, Rilee Rossouw and Mohammad Amir.
The field is rounded out by Sylhet Thunder, who welcome Herschelle Gibbs for his first major coaching role following the cancellation of this summer's Euro T20 Slam, where the former South Africa opener was due to run the Rotterdam Rhinos side. His squad has been hit by the withdrawal of seamer Sheldon Cottrell due to West Indies duties, and promising youngster Towhid Hridoy will not return to the side this season due to a clash with the Under-19 World Cup. Instead, it will be Mosaddek Hossain and a suite of Caribbean stars – Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles and Krishmar Santokie – forming the core of Gibbs' XI.
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Just six Englishmen have been named to squads so far, with the BCB's leadership signalling the competition shifting more towards local names rather than squads packed with household names from around the globe.
Sussex batsman Laurie Evans returns to the league after making his maiden T20 century for Rajshahi Kings in last year's tournament, joining Mominul Haque in moving to the Dhaka Platoon side. There he will be joined by Derbyshire all-rounder Luis Reece, who returns to the league after a year out having previously represented Chittagong Vikings in 2017.
Ravi Bopara heads to Rajshahi Royals after firing Essex to the T20 Blast title in September
Evans' new county teammate Ravi Bopara fills his spot in the Rajshahi Royals squad, putting him in line to represent his fifth different BPL outfit. Meanwhile, the Yorkshire-bound Dawid Malan has joined the Cumilla Warriors side after cementing his place in England's T20 World Cup plans with a maiden international T20 century against New Zealand in Napier last month.
English interest is currently rounded off by the Somerset combination of Lewis Gregory and Tom Abell, who join sometime Auckland and Jamaica Tallawahs coach Mark O'Donnell at the Rangpur Rangers for this year's competition. Abell is a last-minute addition to the side, captained by Mohammad Nabi, following news that West Indies wicketkeeper Shai Hope is not likely to be available for the entire tournament.
This year's BPL is set to air in the UK on BT Sport. Star Gold (Sky 717, Virgin 801) were also due to screen games, with online viewers able to stream the tournament via the Hotstar service.
Home audiences will be able to watch the tournament live on GTV, with streaming on their Rabbitholebd Sports channel on YouTube also available in selected global markets.
Rangpur Rangers and Rajshahi Royals offer the shortest odds for punters at 3/1 and 7/2 respectively. Elsewhere, however, it is a close field – four teams currently have odds between 9/2 and 6/1, with Sylhet Thunder a not-too-distant favourite for the wooden spoon at 9/1.
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