The majority of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League teams had to play this season’s tournament without national cricketers most of the time due to their involvement in the full-fledged series against South Africa.
The 2021-22 edition of the country’s only club-based 50-over tournament got underway on March 15 but before it started, the Bangladesh national cricket team, consisting of both ODI and Test squad members, left Dhaka for South Africa on March 11.
In the previous years, there was a common norm that the clubs started to raise questions when their players were picked for the national team and because of that, they failed to represent their club in the DPL.
National players - Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain and Nasum Ahmed represented their respective DPL sides after completing their successful ODI series campaign in South Africa while the remaining players such as – Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque and Liton Das later joined their respective sides during the super league stage.
Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan even switched their club (Mohammedan Sporting Club) and represented different teams in the super league stage of the DPL.
“The hype of the tournament increases when national players play here. But as there are a lot of international matches now, they can’t play enough matches,” Gazi Group Cricketers Head Coach Mizanur Rahman Babul told reporters on Wednesday.
“Whenever they get an opportunity and have free time, they will participate here. We have to go ahead this way,” he added.
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, which already confirmed their maiden DPL title, will take on second-placed Legends of Rupganj in the last round super league match in Mirpur.
Prime Bank Cricket Club will face Gazi Group at the BKSP-3 venue while defending champions Abahani Limited will play against newcomers Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club at the BKSP-4 venue in the other super league matches today.
