Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 season 2019-20 teams Chattogram Challengers and Rangpur Rangers are in dilemma over the unavailability of their respective overseas cricketers.
Chattogram are in a puzzle over the participation of the West Indies hard-hitter Chris Gayle after the cricketer revealed, “He is unaware how his name was registered for the BPL 2019-20 players’ draft.”
While for Rangpur, the struggle is with another Windies cricketer, Shai Hope, who will be available for only the last one week of the tournament, whereas the draft had said the cricketer will be around for the full season of the domestic T20 tournament.
Windies batting legend Gayle during a press conference in the ongoing South African T20 league, Mzansi Super League, Sunday had informed of his decision to take rest from competitive action in the coming months, thus ruling him out of the BPL 2019-20, set to begin on December 11.
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"I am not going to the Big Bash. I'm not sure what cricket will come up, I don't even know how my name reached the BPL, but I have been drafted in a team and I don't even know how that happened," Gayle said after his Jozi Stars' sixth loss in a row Sunday.
The Chattogram team management as a result, was taken by surprise.
"We picked Gayle in our first overseas call and his unavailability now will put us in big trouble. We could have picked any other player as per our team strategy, if his [Gayle] name was not put in the draft. Now we won't be able to find a good replacement, given that all the good players have already been roped in,” said Chattogram team and Bangladesh Cricket Board director Jalal Younus to Dhaka Tribune Wednesday.
BCB’s chairman of media and communications committee Jalal questioned if Gayle’s registration for the BPL draft was forged as the cricketer claimed “of being unaware of his participation in the tournament.”
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“We spoke to the BPL governing council and requested them to find the facts behind this. Strong action should be taken against Gayle’s agent [Rudradeep Banerjee] if it is the case that the name has been put without the cricketer’s concern,” said Jalal.
While Chattogram are busy finding answers, Rangpur are in search for a possible replacement of wicketkeeper-batsman Hope.
Rangpur adviser and former Tigers captain Habibul Bashar informed that his side had roped in Hope only after knowing the cricketer was available for the full season.
The BCB had come to the decision of having a “one-off and unique” BPL 2019-20 season following lengthy disputes with the franchises who had brought charm to the tournament even last season.
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The BCB had claimed to present to the country one of the best editions of the tournament with the participation of leading cricketers from around the world.
However, as it happened, many big names have only been found unavailable.
The likes of Gayle, Alex Hales, AB de Villiers, Sunil Narine and many others will not be in action in the tournament this season.
With the option of two direct signings, the teams are in discussion with many of the star cricketers from the globe, but as it was, when this report was filed, only Rajshahi Royals have created some buzz with the signings of Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik and Caribbean star Andre Russell.
