Bangladesh Premier League got off the mark in grand style in 2012 when Dhaka and Barisal faced off in the event's inaugural match. Chris Gayle’s ton in 44 balls added to the excitement among the audience present at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Dhaka was eventually crowned as the winner of the inaugural BPL. Dhaka even clinched the title in 2013.
Since then, it has been a stop-start journey for BPL. The brakes were put on the event by unwanted controversies and match-fixing scandals. Nonetheless, the tournament came back with a bang in 2015 with its third edition. Mashrafe Mortaza’s Comilla Victorians won a low-scoring humdinger against Mahmudullah’s Barisal Bulls to become the champions of 2015.
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It is 2016 and BPL is all set to soar up the adrenaline rush. The event is still a few hours away, but the heat is already at its peak in Bangladesh.
Teams and players
Seven teams will be participating in Bangladesh's most prestigious tournament. The following data will give a fair idea about the teams and their warriors.
#1 Dhaka Dynamites
The Dhaka franchise has always been a team to beat in the Bangladesh Premier League. The two-time champion served with stupendous cricket in all the three seasons of the tournament. They crashed out of the event when they unexpectedly lost a play-off match against Comilla Victorians in 2015 by 72 runs.
The 2016 squad looks pretty healthy from the all-rounder's point of view. With Shakib, Russell and D.J. Bravo among the ranks, Dhaka has covered up the chunk of their line-up. Moreover, the presence of M.Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara only adds to the team combining of class and power-hitting.
| Local Players | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Shakib Al Hasan | Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) captain |
| Nasir Hossain | Dwyane Bravo (West Indies) |
| Suhrawadi Shuvo | Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka) |
| Sunzamul Islam | Evin Lewis (West Indies) |
| Alauddin Babu | Wayne Parnell (South Africa) |
| Irfan Sukkur | Sekkuge Prasanna (Sri Lanka) |
| Mosaddek Hossain | Andre Russell (West Indies) |
| Mehedi Maruf | Ravi Bopara (England) |
| Tanveer Haider | Usama Mir (Pakistan) |
| Sunzamul Islam |
Chittagong Vikings
The Chittagong franchise’s journey in the Bangladesh Premier League has been a story of “so near and yet so far”. They reached the final in the second edition and had also reached the semis a couple of times, but somehow they could not make it all the way.
The 2016 squad looks more or less settled. While Gayle, Tamim, Dwyane Smith and Anamul Haque make up the top order, the middle order has the likes of Grant Elliot, Mohammed Nabi, and Jeevan Mendis. They have got serious pace in their line-up in the form of Tymal Mills, while the spin department is covered by Razzak and Nabi.
In a nutshell, Chittagong will be hard to topple, unless and until Chittagong does not perform as per expectations or its opponents raise the bar to play intelligent cricket.
Local Players | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Tamim Iqbal (captain) | Chris Gayle (West Indies) |
| Anamul Haque | Grant Elliot (New Zealand) |
| Jahurul Islam | Inran Khan Jr (Pakistan) |
| Jubair Hossain | Jeevan Mendis (Sri Lanka) |
| Nazmul Hossain Milon | Tymal Mills (England) |
| Saqlain Sajib | Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) |
| Shahidul Islam | Dwyane Smith (West Indies) |
| Subhasis Roy | Chaturanga de Silva (Sri Lanka) |
| Abdur Razzak | Imran Khan (Pakistan) |
| Taskin Ahmed | |
| Yasir Ali Chowdhury | |
| Zakir Hasan |
Khulna Titans
The Khulna franchise, over the years, has had the best names in the business, but victory somehow eluded them in the previous three seasons of the Bangladesh Premier League. With the 2016 season coming up, they will be desperately looking to make amends and make a mark in BPL cricket.
Led by Mahmudullah, the squad does not have any big name, but they have got the goods to deliver in this season. Junaid, Shafiul, and Cooper are likely to take up the mantle of fast bowling. Ben Laughlin's T20 experience will add to the squad.
If Khulna has to make an impact this season, then Lendl Simmons has to form the nucleus of the side along with Mahmudullah.
| Local Players | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Mahumudullah (captain) | Kevon Cooper ( West Indies) |
| Abdul Halim | Andre Fletcher (West Indies) |
| Abu Sayeem | Benny Howell (England) |
| Alok Kapali | Junaid Khan (Pakistan) |
| Ariful Haque | Ben Laughlin (Australia) |
| Hasanuzzaman | Mohammad Ashgar (Pakistan) |
| Naeem Islam jnr | Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) |
| Noor Hossain | Lendl Simmons (West Indies) |
| Shafiul Islam | Riki Wessels (England) |
| Shuvagata Hom | Abdul Majid (Pakistan) |
| Taibur Rahman | |
| Mosharraf Hossain |
Barisal Bulls
Another side that hasn’t lived up to potential since the inauguration of the Bangladesh Premier League are the Bulls from Barisal. They came close to winning the title last year only to taste defeat by the narrowest of margins.
Mushfiqur Rahim has been instrumental in Bangladesh’s surge to glory in ODI cricket and also in their heist over England in the recently concluded Test series. Now it’s time for him to take the inspiration to franchise cricket.
The Bangladesh contingent of Barisal Bulls looks a decent one. Mushfiqur, Al-Amin, Nafees and Taijul will be bringing all their experience, and their performance will be of prime importance if Barisal has to progress in the tournament.
Carlos Brathwaite and Thisara Perera’s all-round ability also need to click for the Bulls. They will start as underdogs, but can’t be written off just yet.
| Local Players | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Mushfiqur Rahim (captain) | Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies) |
| Al-Amin Hossain | Josh Cobb (England) |
| Dhiman Ghosh | Rayad Emrit (West Indies) |
| Fazle Rabby | Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan) |
| Kamrul Islam Rabbi | Dilshan Munaweera (Sri Lanka) |
| Mahedi Hasan | Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) |
| Monir Hossain | Rumman Raees (Pakistan) |
| Abu Hider | |
| Naif Chowdhury | |
| Shahin Hossain | |
| Shahriar Nafees | |
| Shamsur Rahman | |
| Taijul Islam |
Comilla Victorians
The Victorians made their debut in 2015 and struck gold right from the word go. They topped the round-robin league and turned out victorious in a nail-biting contest versus the Barisal Bulls.
Their squad in 2016 looks solid. The defending champions have an astute leader in the form of Mashrafe Mortaza. Their bowling attack is something to be envied off. Imad Wasim, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder and Sohail Tanvir can take any opposition down with disdain.
Batting seems to be a little off place, but this is the same batting that took them to victory last season. If their bowling hit their straps from the early part of the tournament, it will not be a surprise if they go on to lift the cup for the second time in 2 years.
| Local Players | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Mashrafe Mortaza (captain) | Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan) |
| Imrul Kayes | Shahzaib Hasan (Pakistan) |
| Liton Das | Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) |
| Abdullah Al Mamun | Rovman Powell (West Indies) |
| Al-Amin | Nuwan Kulasekara (Sri Lanka) |
| Jasimuddin | Khalid Latif (Pakistan) |
| Mohammad Safiuddin | Jason Holder (West Indies) |
| Mohammad Sharif | Imad Wasim (Pakistan) |
| Nabil Samad | Ashar Zaidi (Pakistan) |
| Nahidul Islam | Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan) |
| Nazmul Hossain Shanto |
Rajshahi Kings
Rajshahi have got decent sides over the past, but they have not been able to make use of them judiciously. Considered one of the dark horses they possess the ability to give the opponents a run for their money. Darren Sammy’s experience in captaining on the big stage will be pivotal if Rajshahi has to make progress in the 2016 Bangladesh Premier League.
While Sabbir Rahaman, Mominul Haque, Upul Tharanga and Umar Akmal form the crux of their batting, bowling will be spearheaded by the likes of Mohammed Sami, Samit Patel, Darren Sammy and Mehedi Hasan, the latest sensation of Bangladesh cricket.
| Local Players | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Abul Hasan | Darren Sammy (West Indies) (captain) |
| Delwar Hossain | Samit Patel (England) |
| Ebadat Hossain | Mohammad Sami (Pakistan) |
| Farhad Reza | Milinda Siriwardana (Sri Lanka) |
| Mehedi Hasan | Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka) |
| Mominul Haque | Umar Akmal (Pakistan) |
| Nazmul Islam | Kesrick Williams (West Indies) |
| Raqibul Hasan | |
| Rony Talukdar | |
| Sabbir Rahman | |
| Salman Hossain |
Rangpur Riders
Like the Comilla Victorians, Rangpur Riders made their debut in the 2015 season. They ended second in the league table and was knocked out by the Barisal Bulls in the second qualifier. They have got swashbuckling players in their ranks.
Shahid Afridi will be leading a bunch of vibrant players. With Mohammad Shahzad, Soumya Sarkar, Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan in the team, there will be no dearth of enthusiasm in the side. They also have Sohag Gazi, Elias Sunny, and Arafat Sunny to support them in spin friendly conditions.
In a nutshell, they have the ingredients to go all the way if they play to potential along the chunk of the tournament.
| Local Player | Overseas Players |
|---|---|
| Soumya Sarkar | Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) (captain) |
| Sohag Gazi | Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka) |
| Ziaur Rahman | Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan) |
| Rubel Hossain | Sachitra Senanayake (Sri Lanka) |
| Pinak Ghosh | Nasir Jamshed (Pakistan) |
| Naeem Islam | Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan) |
| Muktar Ali | Babar Azam (Pakistan) |
| Mohammad Mithun | Gihan Rupasinghe (Sri Lanka) |
| Mehrab Hossain | Gidron Pope (West Indies) |
| Jupiter Ghosh | Richard Gleeson (England) |
| Elias Sunny | |
| Shahbaz Chouhan | |
| Arafat Sunny |
Format of the tournament
The tournament is scheduled for 36 days commencing from 4th November to 9th December 2016. The event consists of 46 matches to be played across two cities, namely Dhaka and Chittagong.
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Dhaka | Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium | 25,000 |
| Chittagong | Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium | 22,000 |
The matches will be played in a double round-robin format with each team playing against the same opponent once in Dhaka and next in Chittagong.
After the close of the league matches come the playoffs. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs. The format is expounded below.
| Category | Opponents | Brief description |
|---|---|---|
| Eliminator | 3rd vs. 4th | (loser of the contest gets eliminated, and the winner remains alive) |
| 1st qualifier | 1st vs. 2nd | (winner of the game qualifies for the Final, and the loser has another chance) |
| 2nd qualifier | loser- 1st Qualifier vs. winner- Eliminator | N/A |
| Final | winner- 1st Qualifier vs winner- 2nd Qualifier | N/A |
Tournament Schedule:
| Date | Match between | Venue | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 04-11-2016 | Khulna Titans Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 05-11-2016 | Barisal Bulls Vs Chittagong Vikings | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 05-11-2016 | Dhaka Dynamites Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 06-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 06-11-2016 | Khulna Titans Vs Barisal Bulls | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 08-11-2016 | Barisal Bulls Vs Dhaka Dynamites | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 08-11-2016 | Comilla Victorians Vs Chittagong Vikings | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 09-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Khulna Titans | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 09-11-2016 | Chittagong Vikings Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 11-11-2016 | Barisal Bulls Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 11-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Dhaka Dynamites | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| Chittagong Vikings Vs Khulna Titans | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 12-11-2016 | Dhaka Dynamites Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 13-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Barisal Bulls | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| Khulna Titans Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 17-11-2016 | Dhaka Dynamites Vs Chittagong Vikings | Chittagong | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 17-11-2016 | Rangpur Riders Vs Barisal Bulls | Chittagong | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 18-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Chittagong Vikings | Chittagong | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 18-11-2016 | Rangpur Riders Vs Comilla Victorians | Chittagong | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 19-11-2016 | Khulna Titans Vs Dhaka Dynamites | Chittagong | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 19-11-2016 | Barisal Bulls Vs Chittagong Vikings | Chittagong | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 21-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Dhaka Dynamites | Chittagong | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 21-11-2016 | Chittagong Vikings Vs Comilla Victorians | Chittagong | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 22-11-2016 | Rangpur Riders Vs Khulna Titans | Chittagong | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 22-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Comilla Victorians | Chittagong | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 25-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 25-11-2016 | Khulna Titans Vs Barisal Bulls | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 26-11-2016 | Dhaka Dynamites Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 26-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Khulna Titans | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 27-11-2016 | Dhaka Dynamites Vs Barisal Bulls | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 27-11-2016 | Chittagong Vikings Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 29-11-2016 | Barisal Bulls Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 29-11-2016 | Chittagong Vikings Vs Khulna Titans | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 30-11-2016 | Dhaka Dynamites Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 30-11-2016 | Rajshahi Kings Vs Barisal Bulls | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 02-12-2016 | Barisal Bulls Vs Rangpur Riders | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 02-12-2016 | Chittagong Vikings Vs Dhaka Dynamites | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 03-12-2016 | Khulna Titans Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 03-12-2016 | Chittagong Vikings Vs Rajshahi Kings | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 04-12-2016 | Rangpur Riders Vs Comilla Victorians | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| Khulna Titans Vs Dhaka Dynamites | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 06-12-2016 | Eliminator (3rd vs 4th) | Dhaka | 1400 hrs IST | ||
| 06-12-2016 | 1st Qualifier | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 07-12-2016 | 2nd Qualifier | Dhaka | 1830 hrs IST | ||
| 09-12-2016 | Final | Dhaka | 1800 hrs IST |
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