Rangpur Riders team director Shanian Taneem has clarified the circumstances behind Mahmudullah Riyad eventual signing for Rangpur Riders, insisting that the veteran all-rounder was always part of their plans despite going unsold in the first round of the BPL 2026 auction on Sunday.

“If anyone thinks Mahmudullah Riyad went unsold, that’s not entirely correct,” he said. 

“Every team had limitations. With 14 players each in A and B categories and restrictions that we couldn’t pick more than two, we had to choose based on strategy. But Mahmudullah was always in our plans. A player of his calibre should be in any team’s plans.”

Rangpur had initially prioritised combinations based on foreign-player availability, which dictated their early picks. But once they noticed Mahmudullah had remained unsold in the opening round, the camp was “surprised” and promptly recalibrated their strategy. The BCB’s chairman of facilities was also present during discussions.

“When he stayed unsold after that round, we felt confident,” Shanian said. “You may have noticed we deliberately bid lower toward the end so that when his name returned to the table, we could pick him.”

Shanian added that Rangpur had expected multiple teams to bid for the former Bangladesh captain.

“We expected more bidding for him. We saved money for that. We are fortunate to have got him at his base price, but I believe he deserves more,” the team director added.