BPL draft: Rajshahi select Taskin in first call, Barishal sign Mahmudullah, Shanto, and Rishad
Before the draft event, a total of 18 local cricketers had either been retained or directly signed by the seven participating franchises, and many teams had also confirmed direct signings of overseas players.
Durbar Rajshahi selected Taskin Ahmed in the first call, while Liton Das and Mahmudullah were secured by Dhaka Capitals and Fortune Barishal, respectively, in the players' draft for the 11th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), currently taking place at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka today.
In addition, Bangladesh's all-format captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, also in Category A, was picked by Barishal. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, another Category A player, was eventually chosen by the same franchise in their seventh call during the draft for the tournament, scheduled to commence on 27 December.
One of the most surprising moments of the draft so far was Rajshahi selecting top-order batsman Jishan Alam, who had previously been announced as one of their two direct signings, alongside Anamul Haque Bijoy. However, Jishan was released just before the draft, only to be picked again by the franchise in their second call.
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Among other notable selections, former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza was signed by Sylhet Strikers, while Nahid Rana and Soumya Sarkar were picked by Rangpur.
Among the foreign players, Dhaka selected Pakistan's Saim Ayub, Sylhet signed Afghanistan's Samiullah Shinwari, Barishal acquired English county player James Fuller and Sri Lankan international Pathum Nissanka, while Rangpur signed Ireland's Curtis Campher.
Before the draft event, a total of 18 local cricketers had either been retained or directly signed by the seven participating franchises, and many teams had also confirmed direct signings of overseas players.
