Durbar Rajshahi owner taken to police custody

Durbar Rajshahi owner Shafiq Rahman was taken to police custody for interrogation regarding his non-payment issue in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, country’s lone franchise-based T20 tournament.

It is understood that he had promised to clear the remaining payment in three phases respectively on February 3, 7 and 10. 

The franchise turned out to be the major attraction in the ongoing BPL, courtesy non-payment issue that saw players boycotting practice sessions while foreign players opting not to make them available in group-phase games during the tournament.

BCB announced that they would intervene players' payment of BPL and later NSC had already formed fact finding committee to resolve player’s payment issue but despite all the announcement, it is understood that Durbar Rajshahi foreign cricketers left Bangladesh without getting their due remuneration.

Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe) and Miguel Cummins (West Indies) are all waiting for some portion of their payments due with couple of them getting 25 percent of their payment while some haven't been paid at all.

BPL's governing council member-secretary of Nazmul Abedin said that he feels BCB didn't examine the Rajshahi franchise properly when they were taken on board last year.

“I think we didn't judge the franchises properly. I think we didn't verify their experience and financial strength. It has now put us in a difficult situation,” said Nazmul following a meeting between Bangladesh's sports adviser Asif and owner of Durbar along with the board.

“I spoke to the Rajshahi owner, who assured us that he will clear the payment and I have told him clearly that if he fails to do so, we will take legal steps. No more discussions. Our fact-finding committee will be looking into how this team came to be,” Asif told reporters

While the team owners promised that they would clear the payment several local cricketers of Durbar Rajshahi camp checked out from the hotel room without getting their due payment on Sunday.

Durbar Rajshahi’s non-payment issue had already reached a boiling point as the local and foreign players’ belongings were trapped inside the bus, and the driver made it clear that without the outstanding payment he won’t return the kit bags to the players that are locked in the bus.

The team had already completed their travel, having moved from Dhaka to Sylhet, then to Chattogram, and back to Dhaka.

Now, with no matches left in the tournament, the unresolved payment issue loomed large.
“It’s a matter of regret and shame considering if they had paid us we would have given back the kit bag to the players. Till now I have not opened my mouth but now I am saying that we can leave if they clear our payment,” Mohammad Babul, bus driver of Rajshahi told reporters in front of the team hotel.

“The kit bags of local and foreign cricketers are there in the bus but I cannot give them as large portion of our remuneration is yet not paid,”