The Bangladesh Premier League is the premier T20 tournament of Bangladesh, and we’re all set for the 2017 season to begin, which is the 5th edition of the tournament. The BPL is a launch board for young, upcoming talent from Bangladesh, and it will take place between 4th November and 12th December 2017.
History
The tournament in the past has featured 6, and even 7 participating teams representing 7 different cities in Bangladesh. Last year, Barisal Bulls were a part of the tournament but they have been excluded from BPL 5 due to financial difficulties. In the 2017 season, a new team will take their place – Sylhet Sixers, captained by Nasir Hossain.
The Dhaka Dynamites (earlier Dhaka Gladiators) is the most successful team in the history of the BPL, winning 3 titles out of the previous 4 tournaments; the other was won by Comilla Victorians. Dhaka also won the 2016 season, making them the defending champions and they will play the first game of BPL 2017, against the newbies Sylhet Sixers.
Format
A total of 46 T20s will be played during the tournament – 42 round robin games and 4 playoff matches. The seven teams will battle it out and only those in the top four will advance to the playoff stage. The entire tournament will be played across three different venues – Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet.
This year, a major new rule was introduced – teams will now be allowed a maximum of 5 foreign players in each game. While this has upped the glamour quotient of the league and will draw in more viewership, the chances of seeing good local talent will take a serious hit. I see this rule being revoked in the future.
Squads
- Rangpur Riders: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), David Willey, Ravi Bopara, Adam Lyth, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Samuel Badree, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Mithun, Sohag Gazi, Rubel Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Nazmul Islam, Fazle Mahmud, Sam Hain, Samiullah Shenwari, Abdur Razzak, Ebadat Hossain, Elias Sunny, Nahidul Islam, Zahir Khan, Lasith Malinga, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Shamsur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman.
- Comilla Victorians: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Shoaib Malik, Jos Buttler, Solomon Mire, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Fahim Ashraf , Imran Khan jnr, Liton Das, Mohammad Saifuddin, Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Alok Kapali, Mehedy Hasan, Enamul Haque, Raqibul Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Rana.
- Dhaka Dynamites: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron Delport, Shane Watson, Evin Lewis, Kevon Cooper, Sunil Narine, Shahid Afridi, Graeme Cremer, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afradi, Mehedi Maruf, Mosaddek Hossain, Abu Hider Rony, Mohammad Shahid, Jahurul Islam, Nadif Chowdhury, Saqlain Sajib, Joe Denly, Akeal Hosein, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Noor Hossain, Rovman Powell, Ronsford Beaton.
- Sylhet Sixers: Nasir Hossain (c), Sabbir Rahman, Babar Azam, Krishmar Santokie, Usman Khan, Andre Fletcher, Davy Jacobs, Liam Plunkett, Ross Whiteley, Chaturanga de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Nurul Hasan, Wanidu Hasaranga, Taijul Islam, Abul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Nabil Samad, Ghulam Mudassar, Mohammad Sharif, Imtiaz Hossain, Sharifullah, Upul Tharanga, Andre McCarthy.
- Khulna Titans: Mahmudullah (c), Benny Howell, Jofra Chioke Archer, Dawid Malan, Chadwick Walton, Carlos Brathwaite, Shadab Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Shehan Jayasuriya, Seekkuge Prasanna, Mosharraf Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Jayed, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali,Imran Ali, Muktar Ali, Dhiman Ghosh, Saif Hassan, Ariful Haque, Rilee Rossouw, Kyle Abbott.
- Chittagong Vikings: Soumya Sarkar, Yasir Arafat, Misbah-ul-Haq, Luke Ronchi, Jermaine Blackwood, Sikandar Raza, Luis Reece, Liam Dawson, Jeevan Mendis, Najibullah Zadran, Anamul Haque, Sunzamul Islam, Al-Amin, Alauddin Babu, Tanbir Hayder, Irfan Sukkur, Naeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy.
- Rajshahi Kings: Darren Sammy (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Lendl Simmons, Kesrick Williams, Malcolm Waller, James Franklin, Luke Wright, Farhad Reza, Samit Patel, Mohammad Sami, Mominul Haque, Mustafizur Rahman, Zakir Hasan, Nihaduzzaman, Rony Talukdar, Usama Mir, Raza Ali Dar, Hossain Ali, Naeem Islam jnr, Kazi Anik.
Once again, the Dhaka Dynamites seem to be the team to watch out for. I won’t say anything about defending their title, but I’m certainly expecting them to finish in the top four. Also watch out for Rajshahi Kings, who were the runners up last year. Why to back them to do well? They will be captained by Darren Sammy – two time World Cup winning captain.
Official website: http://www.tigercricket.com.bd/bpl/
Live streaming
The BPL 2017 may not be broadcasted on television in every country across the world. If you are in one of those countries that isn’t telecasting BPL 5 (like me), you don’t have to worry, as 1xBet provides the perfect live streaming option.
1xBet has no fees involved, and their streaming services are one of the fastest you will get online. Read our article on how to get FREE BPL live streaming here.
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