The time is right for BPL redemption

-The Bangladesh cricket team has finally managed the kind of successful stint that the fans have dreamt of for a long time

-The recent 3-0 sweep over Zimbabwe was Bangladesh's fifth ODI series victory at home, including 'superior' oppositions like Pakistan, India and South Africa

-After a year's break in 2014, BPL returns with a blank slate and a renewed hope of resurrecting the T20 league

-The format of six teams playing each other twice has not been changed but the teams are all brand new

-From Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi to Kumar Sangakkara and Andre Russell - some of the big-name players - have all signed up to be part of the upcoming season

-The tournament gets under way on November 22 (Sunday) in Dhaka and will be played across three phases

-Rangpur Riders will take on the Chittagong Vikings in the tournament opener on Sunday and as many as 12 matches will be played in the first phase (till November 27)

-The action then shifts to Chittagong, where seven games will be played across five days (November 30 to December 3)

-The teams head back to Dhaka for the final phase, from December 6. The group-stage fixtures end on December 10 after which an IPL-style qualifier and eliminator will be played.

-The final of the tournament is on December 15

Less than a fortnight ago, the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka witnessed the rarest of rare sights. A 19-year-old fast bowler, steaming in at the top of his rhythm, had nine fielders behind the stumps.

In the recent past, Bangladesh have had several players worth the fanfare but hardly a team of eleven of them who could seriously thrill.

There were moments - like the 2005 ODI win over Australia - that came ever-so-rarely that emotions of the fans back home often wavered violently between elation and frustration. Never before were they at the receiving end of sustained euphoria.

When Mustafizur bowled with a slip cordon that one often associated with the era of the abrasive Steve Waugh, Taurai Muzarabani, Zimbabwe's No. 11, was merely present at the crease to delay the inevitable series defeat.

When it eventually came, it was Bangladesh's fifth ODI series victory at home, including 'superior' oppositions like Pakistan, India and South Africa.

The Bangladesh cricket team has finally managed the kind of successful stint that the fans have dreamt of for a long time.

If the air in Dhaka, and in Chittagong, is spiked with optimism at the moment, it would not be without reason.

The stage is thus set, as there can be no better time for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to return to the reckoning and shrug off its notorious past.

The first two seasons of the tournament - in 2012 and 2013 - were marred by mismanagement and corruption, shockingly from the team owners.

After a year's break in 2014, BPL returns with a blank slate and a renewed hope of resurrecting the T20 league.

The format of six teams playing each other twice has not been changed but the teams - itself - are all brand new.

Much to the delight of the viewing public, the tournament will have choicest of international stalwarts this season.

From Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi to Kumar Sangakkara and Andre Russell - some of the big-name players - have all signed up to be part of the upcoming season.

Bangladesh players celebrate the fall of a wicket during the 1st T20I against South Africa at Mirpur. Photo: STAR

Like the Indian Premier League - the tournament it aims to replicate in terms of success and quality - a lot of focus will also be on young Bangladesh talent, specially at a time when the national team is soaring to new heights with a young and energetic bunch of boys.

As far as aspirations of matching the Indian league goes, the third edition of BPL kick-started with similar - and eccentric - levels of pizzazz, with Bollywood stars like Hrithik Roshan, Jacqueline Fernandes, singer KK, as well as Chittagong-based musician Ayub Bachchu got the ball rolling in the opening ceremony on November 20 (Friday).

After all the fanfare settles, the tournament gets under way on November 22 (Sunday) in Dhaka and will be played across three phases.

Rangpur Riders will take on the Chittagong Vikings in the tournament opener on Sunday and as many as 12 matches will be played in the first phase (till November 27).

The action then shifts to Chittagong, where seven games will be played across five days (November 30 to December 3).

The teams head back to Dhaka for the final phase, from December 6. The group-stage fixtures end on December 10 after which an IPL-style qualifier and eliminator will be played. The final of the tournament is on December 15.

Back in 2007, Indian fans had just recovered from the lows of the 2007 World Cup exit and embraced the unbridled joy of the World T20 triumph under MS Dhoni.

The IPL arrived right after this victory and it went a long way in getting the masses to take a special liking for the tournament. BPL may not have had the perfect start in 2012, but their return coinciding with the national side's continued success comes as an encouragement for the organisers and the investors alike.

Can they steer clear of the common pessimistic outlook towards a T20 league and put on a good show?

Can the average local fan find new heroes for himself? Interesting times ahead, if you're a Bangladesh cricket aficionado.

Venues: Sher-e-Bangla stadium, Dhaka and Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

Teams:

Dhaka Dynamites

Local players: Nasir Hossain, Md Mustafizur Rahman, Mosharraf Hossain Rubel, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Shamsur Rahman, Md Saikat Ali, Farhad Reza, Nabil Samad, Md Abul Hasan Raju, Irfan Shukkur

Overseas players: Kumar Sangakkara (SL) (Capt, wk), Sohail Khan (Pak), Shahzaib Hasan (Pak), Nasir Jamshed (Pak), Yasir Shah (Pak), Mohammad Irfan (Pak), David Mallan (Eng), Ryan ten Doeschate (Neth)

Coach: Mickey Arthur

Chittagong Vikings

Local players: Tamim Iqbal (Capt), Nafees Iqbal, Anamul Haque Bijoy (wk), Taskin Ahmed, Robiul Islam, Ziaur Rahman, Md Elias Sunny, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque (Jr.), Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Md Shafiul Islam, Asif Ahmed Ratul

Overseas Players: Jeevan Mendis (SL), Chamara Kapugedera (SL), Robin Petersen (SA), Elton Chigumbura (Zim), Mohammad Amir (Pak), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Umar Akmal (Pak), Kamran Akmal (Pak)

Coach: Aaqib Javed

Barisal Bulls

Local players: Mahmudullah Riyad (Capt), Shabbir Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Shohag Gazi, Taijul Islam, Shahriar Nafees, Mehedi Maruf, Nadif Chowdhury, Rony Talukder, Mohammad Sharifullah, Sajedul Islam

Overseas Players: Chris Gayle (WI), Brendan Taylor (wk) (Zim), Kevin Cooper (WI), Evin Lewis (WI), Seekkuge Prasanna (SL), Mohammad Sami (Pak), Imad Wasim (Pak)

Coach: Graham Xavier Ford

Rangpur Riders

Local Players: Shakib Al Hasan (Capt), Soumya Sarker, Arafat Sunny, Md Mithun (wk), Muktar Ali, Saklain Sojib, Jahurul Islam, Jubair Hossain, Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi, Md Murad Khan, Rasel Al Mamun, Marshal Aiyub, Rokibul Islam

Overseas players: Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Thisara Perera (SL), Sachitra Senanayake (SL), Darren Sammy (WI), Lendl Simmons (WI), Mohammad Nabi (Afg), Wahab Riaz (Pak), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak)

Coach: Shane Jurgensen

Sylhet Superstars

Local Players: Mushfiqur Rahim (Capt, wk), Rubel Hossain, Mominul Haque, Abdur Razzak, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan (wk), Mohammad Shahid, Najmul Hossain Apu, Junaid Siddique, Nazmul Hossain Milon, Abu Sayem Alam Chowdhury

Overseas players: Brad Hodge (Aus), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Dilshan Munaweera (SL), Kieron Pollard (WI), Ravi Bopara (Eng), Chris Jordan (Eng), Joshua Cobb (Eng), Shahid Afridi (Pak), Sohail Tanveer (Pak)

Coach: Sarwar Imran

Comilla Victorians

Local players: Mashrafe Mortaza (Capt), Liton Kumar Das (wk), Imrul Kayes, Alok Kapali, Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury, Sanjamul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Ariful Haque, Mahmudul Hasan Limon, Md Nayeem Islam (Jr.), Abu Haider Rony, Dhiman Ghosh (wk)

Overseas Players: Sunil Narine (WI), Marlon Samuels (WI), Andre Russell (WI), Krishmar Santokie (WI), Darren Stevens (Eng), Nuwan Kulasekara (SL), Lahiru Thirimanne (SL), Shoaib Malik (Pak), Ahmad Shehzad (Pak)

Coach: Mohammad Salahuddin