BCB drops red-flagged players from BPL auction
A day before the players' auction for the 12th Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), scheduled for today, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) excluded several local cricketers from the auction list who are under suspicion of being involved in fixing-related irregularities in the previous edition.
The decision came following the recommendation of Alex Marshall, the Independent Chair of the board's Integrity Unit, who advised the board not to include any cricketers or officials who were "red-flagged" by the board's inquiry committee for alleged corrupt activities during the last BPL season.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. According to documents obtained by The Daily Star, seven local cricketers who were part of the draft list, which was sent to the six franchises on November 26, have been dropped. The final list now includes 158 local players who alongside 267 overseas players will go under the hammer today.
Out of the omissions, the two biggest names are Anamul Haque Bijoy and Mosaddek Hossain -- domestic veterans who have played for Bangladesh across three formats and were placed in Category C in the draft list.
The other excluded cricketers are: Alauddin Babu (Category D), Nihaduzzaman (Category E), Sunzamul Islam (Category E), Shafiul Islam (Category F), and Mizanur Rahman (Category F).
The BCB clarified its position in a press release issued in the evening, saying that based on the advice of its Integrity Unit's Chair, "a number of individuals, including some players, have not been invited to participate in this year's tournament."
The board also clarified that the decision applies only to the BPL and does not affect participation in other domestic tournaments.
The exclusion came as a shock to Bijoy, who told The Daily Star that he is considering legal action.
"I am not getting anyone on the phone, and no one is responding. Why did they exclude me? What evidence do they have? I need to know. They haven't informed me of anything," Bijoy said.
"I will definitely ask for the evidence. If they cannot show any, I will demand them to restore my reputation."
As the BCB is yet to officially name anyone for involvement in fixing related activities, some members of the cricket fraternity questioned how fair was the decision to exclude them from BPL.
But the BPL Governing Council member Iftekhar Rahman Mithu strongly defended this move.
"As the Governing Council, we have every right," Mithu said yesterday after the conclusion of an integrity session conducted by the ACU and a pre-auction orientation on auction procedures for all six franchises.
"We established a process where injured players cannot be on the list, and flagged players will not be on the list. This is entirely our decision and within our jurisdiction. Those who feel they have been unfairly included in the red-flag list have appeal processes available."
Meanwhile, following widespread criticism, several domestic performers like Mohammad Rubel, Iftakhar Hossain Ifti, Tawfique Khan Tushar, and Nuhayel Sandeed were added in the final list. Some players were also shifted in different categories.
Earlier, on February 3, the BCB formed a three-member Independent Evaluation Committee to investigate the 11th BPL. After nine months, the committee submitted a 900-page report on October 28.
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