The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) came into existence in 2012. Since then the Twenty20 competition has always been a huge success with crowds in the region being fully entertained by local and foreign stars. The upcoming edition of the BPL 2017, which is set to kickstart in November, is expected to be another entertaining affair.
The much-anticipated BPL 2017 players draft took shape on Saturday (September 16), and all the teams came with their homework done well, signing players of their choice to strengthen their squads. There were a total of 348 players in the draft list, including 208 foreigners, with England comprising 62 of them.
Rajshahi Kings, Dhaka Dynamites, Khulna Titans, Rangpur Riders, Surma Sylhet Sixers, Comilla Victorians and Chittagong Vikings are the seven sides for BPL 2017. Teams had already picked some players ahead of the draft so they were smart on Saturday, making some wise choices.
The star attraction of the day was left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who did not make it as the icon player after Barisal Bulls were removed from the competition. The Bangladesh pacer, as expected, was the first player to be picked up in the draft, and Rajshahi Kings signed the only A+ category player in the draft.
As the players draft moved ahead, players like Misbah-ul-Haq, Najibullah Zadran, Al-Amin Hossain, Nazmul Hossain and Abdur Razzak found takers in the draft.
Here is a look at the complete squads of all seven BPL teams
Chittagong Vikings
Icon player: Soumya Sarkar
Foreign Players: Misbah-ul-Haq, Luke Ronchi, Jermaine Blackwood, Liam Dawson, Jeevan Mendis, Najibullah Zadran, Luis Reece, Sikandar Raza.
Local Players: Anamul Haque, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Sunzamul Islam, Al-Amin, Alauddin Babu, Tanbir Hayder, Irfan Sukkur, Naeem Hasan, Yasir Arafat Mishu.
Rajshahi Kings
Icon Player: Mushfiqur Rahim
Foreign Players: Luke Wright, Lendl Simmons, Malcom Waller, James Franklin, Darren Sammy, Samit Patel, Kesrick Williams, Mohammad Sami, Usama Mir, Raja Ali Dar, Hossain Ali.
Local Players: Mominul Haque, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Farhad Reza, Zakir Hasan, Nihaduzzaman, Rony Talukdar, Naeem Islam Jnr, Kazi Anik.
Dhaka Dynamites
Icon Player: Shakib Al Hasan
Foreign players: Kumar Sangakkara, Evin Lewis, Cameron Delport, Shane Watson, Kevon Cooper, Rovman Powell, Shahid Afridi, Sunil Narine, Graeme Cremer, Mohammad Shahid, Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ronsford Beaton, Joe Denly, Akeal Hosein.
Local Players: Abu Hider, Jahurul Islam, Nadif Chowdhury, Saqlain Sajib, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehedi Maruf, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Noor Hossain Saddam, Mohammad Shahid.
Surma Sylhet Sixers
Icon player: Sabbir Rahman
Foreign Players: Babar Azam, Liam Plunkett, Wanidu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka, Andre Fletcher, Krismar Santokei, Chaturanga de Silva, Davy Jacobs, Andre McCarthy, Ross Whiteley, Usman Khan Shinwari, Ghulam Mudasser Khan.
Local Players: Nasir Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Taijul Islam, Abul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Nabil Samad, Mohammad Sharif, Imtiaz Hossain, Mohammad Sharifullah.
Comilla Victorians
Icon player: Tamim Iqbal
Foreign Players: Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Jos Buttler, Shoaib Malik, Hassan Ali, Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Imran Khan Jr, Solomon Mire, Rumman Raees, Fahim Ashraf.
Local Players: Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Mohammad Saifuddin, Al-Amin Hossain Jr, Arafat Sunny, Alok Kapali, Mahedi Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Enamul Haque, Raqibul Hasan.
Khulna Titans
Icon player: Mahmudullah Riyad
Foreign Players: Rillee Roussow, Dawid Malan,Chadwick Walton, Sarfraz Ahmed, Carlos Brathwaite, Seekkuge Prasanna, Shadab Khan, Kyle Abbott, Benny Howell, Junaid Khan, Shehan Jayasurya, Jofra Archer, Chris Lynn.
Local Players: Shafiul Islam, Ariful Haque, Mosharraf Hossain, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Jayed Rahi, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Imran Ali, Mukter Ali, Dhiman Ghosh, Saif Hassan.
Rangpur Riders
Icon player: Mashrafe Mortaza
Foreign Players: Chris Gayle, Adam Lyth, Kusal Perera, Johnson Charles, Ravi Bopara, Thisara Perera, David Willey, Samuel Badree, Sam Hain, Samiullah Shenwari, Zahir Khan.
Local Players: Rubel Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Mithun, Abdur Razzak, Ebadat Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Nazmul Islam Apu, Ziaur Rahman, Fazle Mahmud, Elias Sunny, Nahidul Islam.
