Ireland’s head coach, Heinrich Malan, spoke exclusively to Daily Sun’s Zaigum Azam about the growing opportunities for players to showcase their talent on the international stage and secure contracts in major T20 leagues such as the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Malan highlighted the modern cricketing landscape, where strong performances in international cricket can open doors to lucrative franchise leagues worldwide. With a crowded calendar of global T20 tournaments—including the IPL, PSL, and others—players now have multiple platforms to make their mark. Here are the excerpts:

Daily Sun: There’s been a lot of talk in the Bangladeshi camp about the BPL, especially that players who perform well in this series might get picked up at a high price. Is there a similar mood in the Ireland camp, knowing the BPL is coming up and the players’ roster is being formed?

Heinrich Malan: Absolutely. We’ve spoken about Curtis (Campher) and Paul Stirling, among others. They’ve all played here before and have fond memories of Bangladesh with their previous teams. Just earlier today, we were talking about how if the opportunity arises to come back here, and if they perform well, they could get picked up. It’s a great place to play. We’ve all enjoyed the last 10 days and are looking forward to going to Chittagong to play some more cricket. 

Daily Sun: So players are well aware of the BPL opportunities? 

Malan: Yes, definitely. That’s the beauty of international cricket. Every time you play and perform well, you put your name in lights. We often talk about how we, as support staff and Cricket Ireland, can best prepare the players to perform for us. But if they perform well, the next opportunity—like getting picked for leagues—will take care of itself. The T20 world is buzzing right now. Between now and the World Cup, and then after with the IPL, PSL, and others, there are six, seven, eight, maybe nine leagues going on simultaneously. We hope some of our players perform well enough to earn spots in those leagues.

Daily Sun: With the next T20 World Cup coming up, is this Bangladesh series the start of your preparation for that?

Malan: Absolutely. We have this series against Bangladesh and then only a short preparation before the main event. These three games are really important, and of course, it’s about winning. Every international game has that expectation. But it’s also about ensuring that all 15 players in the squad know what’s expected of them and supporting them to perform their best. We might test a few combinations, but this is definitely the start of the World Cup campaign, which is around early February.

Daily Sun:There has been talk about a European T20 league involving Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. What’s the status on that?

Malan: Yes, that’s something discussed over the last three or four years but hasn’t materialized yet. It would create more exposure and opportunities for players to compete alongside international signings and big stars, helping us grow the game in Europe. It’s penciled in for September after The Hundred. We’re hopeful it will come to fruition because it would be hugely beneficial for us, Scotland, and the Netherlands, who all have a stake in it.