The National Cricket League (NCL) T20 tournament was held for the first time last year and made quite an impact. Hosted in Sylhet, the inaugural edition was a success, both in terms of organization and audience engagement. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) managed to conduct the tournament smoothly.
Due to the tournament’s success, there was growing demand from fans and players alike for a second edition. The upcoming season is scheduled to begin on 15 September. Ahead of the tournament, Mushfiqur Rahim has come into discussion. He participated in the last edition, playing for his home division, Rajshahi.
Mushfiqur Rahim
However, this time, Mushfiqur Rahim has expressed his desire not to represent Rajshahi. He has already submitted a request to the BCB to play for Sylhet instead. Speaking to the media today (Thursday) in Mirpur, Tournament Committee Chairman Akram Khan addressed the issue.
Regarding Mushfiqur, Akram said, “Mushfiqur Rahim has likely requested to play for Sylhet. It seems he wants to represent them.” The reason behind his decision to skip playing for Rajshahi has not been revealed.
Discussing this year’s venues, Akram said, “There’s always high demand for BPL matches from many venues. We’ve tried to spread cricket across the country in quality locations. Bogura has hosted several matches, and we’re keeping that in mind.”
He added, “Rajshahi has a strong cricket fanbase and has produced many good players. For Sylhet, we’re planning day-night matches. We may hold the semifinals and final as day-night games, which is why we’re focusing on Sylhet as a venue.”