Overseas Rajshahi players stuck in Dhaka hotel as team owner and management haven’t responded to the players’ calls for updates.
Overseas Rajshahi players are effectively stranded in their team hotel in Dhaka after the franchise continued to miss payment deadlines.
The players are waiting for tickets to return home, but the team’s owner and management have not answered their requests for updates. The players were still in Dhaka at the time this report was submitted.
On the final day of the league round, Khulna Tigers defeated Dhaka Capitals on Saturday, eliminating Rajshahi from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe), Miguel Cummins (West Indies), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), and Muhammad Haris (Pakistan) are all awaiting a share of their owed money.
Since the beginning of this BPL, Rajshahi has struggled with money. According to Anamul Haque, the local players, who are typically paid 25% before the event begins, had not been paid before the competition began. Last month, they skipped a Chattogram training session, and the international players skipped a game. Their net run rate was below par, but Burl and Haris eventually made themselves available to play and kept them in the running for a postseason finish.
Shafique Rahman, the proprietor of Rajshahi, ran afoul of the Chattogram team hotel for not making their payment on schedule. As Rahman’s automobile was seized by hotel authorities, pictures of security guards lounging outside his room went viral. The Rajshahi team had to leave one hotel when they got back to Dhaka because of payment problems.
When the Rajshahi franchise was brought on board last year. BCB failed to thoroughly evaluate them, according to member-secretary of the BPL’s governing council Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.
“I think we didn’t judge the franchises properly. I think we didn’t verify their experience and financial strength. It has now put us in a difficult situation.”
“I spoke to the Rajshahi owner, who assured us that he will clear the payments,” Mahmud said. “I have told him clearly that if he fails to do so, we will take legal steps. No more discussions. Our fact-finding committee will be looking into how this team came to be.”