BPL draft sees 440 foreign players, elite group of 20 listed in top category
20 have been listed in the prestigious 'A' category, which comes with the highest pay of $70,000 USD, approximately 8.3 million Bangladeshi Taka. Star players are also spread across four other categories in the draft.
As the BPL draft countdown begins, 440 overseas cricketers have been listed for selection, with 20 elite players poised to earn up to $70,000 in the top 'A' category.
With several other categories and star names involved, the draft promises to be an intense bidding contest.
According to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) list, the 'B' category features 38 players, 'C' category has 66, 'D' includes 135, and 181 cricketers are part of the 'E' category. The price tags for these categories are $50,000 USD for 'B', $30,000 USD for 'C', $25,000 USD for 'D', and $15,000 USD for 'E'.
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Some of the top names in the 'A' category include Josh Little, Lewis Gregory, Peter Siddle, Dawid Malan, Hazratullah Zazai, Ollie Robinson, Martin Guptill, Qais Ahmad, George Munsey, Shane Dowrich, Carlos Brathwaite, Luke Wood, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim, Nandre Burger, Usama Mir, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Pathum Nissanka, and Alex Hales.
In the 'B' category, notable players are Kasun Rajitha, Kevon Cooper, Chamara Kapugedera, Ashley Nurse, Jack Leach, Reece Topley, Rahkeem Cornwall, Isuru Udana, Oshane Thomas, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Shahzad, Corey Anderson, James Fuller, Jacob Duffy, Aamer Jamal, Sharjeel Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
The 'C' category includes players such as Oshada Fernando, Aaron Jones, Ryan Burl, Samiullah Shinwari, Yasir Shah, Abbas Afridi, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Wahab Riaz, Hayden Walsh, Raymon Reifer, Chadwick Walton, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams, Umar Akmal, Rayad Emrit, Christopher Mpofu, Jack Ball, and Curtis Campher.
Other notable names in the 'D' and 'E' categories are Sisanda Magala, Dawlat Zadran, Ross Adair, Rohan Mustafa, Hardus Viljoen, George Dockrell, Kennar Lewis, Craig Ervine, Yannic Cariah, Kaleem Sana, Steven Taylor, Monank Patel, Sheldon Cottrell, Kushal Malla, Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bryan Charles, Faraz Akram, and Lahiru Samarakoon.
With several other leagues taking place simultaneously, many star players will not be available for the full BPL season. Additionally, several foreign players will only sign contracts for specific matches. As a result, the BPL Governing Council has decided not to limit the number of foreign players teams can recruit, allowing them to select as many as needed based on their requirements.
