A puzzling auction list and unclear selection criteria

Last year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) introduced the T20 iteration of the National Cricket League (NCL) to expose domestic players to competitive T20 cricket and help Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchises identify local talent.

As the tournament wrapped up its second edition on October 12, the competition appeared to have fulfilled its purpose to some extent with several new players delivering notable performances.

However, the list of local players for the upcoming BPL auction, scheduled for November 30, tells a different story.

BCB's national team selection panel prepared a list of 166 local cricketers, divided into six categories, and sent it to the six BPL franchises on November 26. However, several of the top performers from the recent NCL T20 failed to make the cut.

Among them, Chattogram division's off-spinner Mohammad Rubel stands out as the most glaring omission.

The 29-year-old was one of the tournament's standout bowlers, taking 10 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 5.20 -- finishing as the fifth-highest wicket-taker. His consistency earned him the Most Promising Player of the Tournament award. Yet Rubel did not find a place on the local players' list.

"I really don't know anything about it. Only the selectors know why I am not on the list," Rubel told The Daily Star yesterday.

"It's definitely very upsetting for me. In the NCL T20, I didn't bowl badly, rather, I bowled well and was named the most promising player. Naturally, I felt I might get a chance in the BPL. I hoped that maybe someone would pick me. Since I'm not even on the list, it feels bad," he added.

Rubel is not alone. Several other consistent performers across both editions of the NCL T20 were also overlooked, such as Chattogram's left-arm spinner Ashraful Hasan Rohan, and pace duo of Ahmed Sharif and Fahad Hossain, Barishal division's batter Iftikhar Rahman Ifti, as well as left-arm wrist-spinner Nuhayel Sandeed and leg-spinner Shadhin Islam. Many of these players have recently featured for Bangladesh 'A' or the High Performance Unit as well.

In stark contrast, players with little to no recent competitive cricket have made it into the auction list. Barishal's Monir Hossain Khan and Rangpur's Sanjt Saha Dip -- both absent from competitive cricket for the last year and a half -- were included. Shahriar Alam Mahim, out of action for three years, was also listed.

Concerns extend beyond mere selection. The categorisation of players into six salary brackets -- ranging from Tk 11-50 lakh -- has raised eyebrows as well.

Despite not being part of the regular national T20 setup, Mohammad Naim was placed in Category A, while Tawhid Hridoy, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, and Jaker Ali Anik -- all of whom were part of Bangladesh's playing XI against Ireland in the first T20I on Thursday-- were placed in Category B.

Meanwhile, promising pacer Nahid Rana was slotted into Category C alongside established Test cricketers such as Mominul Haque, Shadman Islam, and Zakir Hasan. Habibur Rahman Sohan and Jishan Alam, who impressed in the Asia Cup Rising Stars and Top End T20 respectively, were placed in Category D.

Although the selectors still have two days to make additions to the auction list, the initial list begs the question of whether the players are truly being judged on merit or if the selectors are simply ticking boxes without proper assessment.