Durbar Rajshahi Accused of BPL Rule Violation as Foreign Players Call for Boycott

Durbar Rajshahi Accused of BPL Rule Violation as Foreign Players Call for Boycott

MIRPUR: MIRPUR: Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Durbar Rajshahi violated a primary rule of the franchise league by playing no foreign players in their game with Rangpur Riders here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.
When the toss was called for the 34th game of the eleventh season of the League, Rajshahi Taskin Ahmed’s captain confirmed this news and said, “All locals today.”

This move, however, does not conform to the BPL’s squad composition regulations, which require teams to include at least two foreign players on their roster for every match.
“Franchise must include minimum two (02) and maximum four (04) Overseas Players in its starting / playing XI on the field of play in any match all the time about 9th, 10th & 11th edition/season of BPL T20,” is the BPL regulation governing how the playing XI is constructed.
According to local media, the franchise team received the chance to relax from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) due to the “unavailability” of foreign players, who are reported to be boycotting any other activities until the settlement of their outstanding dues.
“Durbar Rajshahi Granted Permission to Field All Local Players in BPL 2025 Match Against Rangpur Riders. DHAKA, Sunday, January 26,” local media reported BCB.
“The Durbar Rajshahi team, currently participating in the 2025 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20, is submitting a request for approval from the BPL Technical Committee for special authorisation to field a squad comprised of Bangladeshi players in today’s game with Rangpur Riders due to the absence of international players.
“After a review of the request and by the provisions outlined in Clause 1.2.8 of the Match Playing Conditions of BPL 2024-25, the Technical Committee has approved for Durbar Rajshahi to field a team consisting of only Bangladeshi players for this match.”
For those who don’t know about the incident, it happened just 10 days ago when Durbar’s team did not attend the scheduled training session in protest against the unpaid fees.
In response, the franchise issued a public apology and pledged to make half of in-process payments on or before January 16.