Rajshahi play with 11 local players after foreign players boycott match; Rangpur field first as Soumya returns

In a surprising turn of events, Durbar Rajshahi announced their playing XI for Sunday’s match against Rangpur Riders with no foreign players in the line-up, a clear deviation from the usual BPL rule requiring at least two foreign players in the playing XI. 

It was learnt that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sent a bus to pick up the foreign players, but Ryan Burl and his teammates remained firm in their decision to boycott the match.

Due to this, Rajshahi was granted “special arrangements” and allowed to field 11 local players for the match. This move raised eyebrows, as the BPL is technically breaking its own rules to avoid the embarrassment of a walkover.

"The Durbar Rajshahi team, currently competing in the 2025 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20, has applied to the BPL Technical Committee for special approval to field a team consisting solely of Bangladeshi players for today’s match against Rangpur Riders due to the non-availability of overseas players," a BCB press release read. 

"After a review of the request and in accordance with the provisions outlined in Clause 1.2.8 of the Match Playing Conditions of BPL 2024-25, the Technical Committee has granted approval for Durbar Rajshahi to field a team consisting of only Bangladeshi players for this match," the press release added.

Rajshahi’s ongoing non-payment issue has been a major point of contention this season. After the drama surrounding the Chattogram phase, the team arrived at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium without their foreign recruits. When the team bus reached the stadium, no foreign players were seen with the squad.

Ryan Burl, a Zimbabwean recruit for Rajshahi, was contacted by Daily Sun but mentioned he was in a meeting and did not offer any explanation for his absence from the match.

Meanwhile, local player Anamul Haque posted a photo on his Facebook page with the caption “All is well,” proudly showing the local players who had just received their payments hours before the match.

Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, Chairman of the BCB’s Media and Communications Committee, addressed the situation by stating, “We will take hard steps.”

In the match, Rangpur Riders skipper won the toss and elected to field first as Soumya Sarkar returned to the playing XI after recovering from injury.

Durbar Rajshahi (Playing XI): Sabbir Hossain, Anamul Haque, Yasir Ali, Akbar Ali(w), SM Meherob, Sunzamul Islam, Jishan Alam, Taskin Ahmed(c), Mohor Sheikh, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Mizanur Rahman

Rangpur Riders (Playing XI): Steven Taylor, Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Nurul Hasan(w/c), Mahedi Hasan, Rakibul Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nahid Rana, Akif Javed