Imrul Kayes questions BPL player grading system, raises concerns about fairness

The 11th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is scheduled to start on 27 December, with the player draft set for 14 October.

Ahead of the draft, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has released the player price list and categories. Six categories have been created, with the highest category offering Tk 6 million, and the lowest at Tk 1 million.

Imrul Kayes, who has been placed in the 'C' category, raised questions about the fairness of the grading system. The seasoned cricketer took to Facebook on Friday to voice his concerns, pointing out inconsistencies in how players are evaluated.

Kayes questioned the criteria used for assigning player grades in the BPL, saying, "After seeing the grading of players ahead of the BPL draft, I've been wondering what the grading is actually based on. Is it based on national team performance, year-long domestic performance, BPL performance, or just the player's name? Some players who haven't been around cricket all year are placed in the 'B' grade, while those who performed brilliantly in the last BPL are stuck in the 'C' grade. Is the grading determined by name and reputation alone?"

Kayes expressed frustration over the apparent lack of merit-based grading and shared his own experience of losing his place in the national team. Reflecting on the 2018-19 BPL season, when he played for Comilla Victorians, Kayes admitted, "I didn't perform well that season, and after the West Indies series, I was dropped from the national team. When I spoke to a BCB official later, he explained that I was dropped because of my relatively poor performance in the BPL. Since I didn't perform as expected, I accepted the decision without hesitation."

However, Kayes highlighted how even strong BPL performances have not guaranteed a return to the national team. "In the 2019-20 season, I scored 442 runs in 13 matches for Chattogram Challengers, but despite such a performance, I wasn't called up to the national team. I wasn't even included in any national team camp. So, if you don't perform in the BPL, you're out, but even when you perform, it's not considered. Will the tough times in our cricket never end?" he lamented.

Although he didn't name specific players, Kayes' comments reignited questions about BPL's grading system. For instance, pacer Ebadot Hossain is in the 'C' grade, while Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who has been away from cricket, has been placed in the 'B' grade.

As the BPL draft approaches, Kayes' concerns have sparked a wider conversation about the transparency and fairness of the player grading system, raising issues that may need addressing before the tournament begins.