Bangladesh Premier League : BCB to Pursue Legal Action Against Durbar Rajshahi Over Unpaid Overseas Players

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is gearing up to take legal action against Durbar Rajshahi, a team from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), following repeated failures to meet payment deadlines for overseas players and the team hotel.

According to Iftekhar Rahman, the chairman of the BCB's media committee, the board had previously given the franchise ample time and leniency, but they can no longer overlook the issue.

The situation escalated over the weekend when the unpaid overseas players refused to take part in the match against Rangpur Riders in Mirpur, citing unresolved payment issues.

BPL regulations require each team to field a minimum of two and a maximum of four foreign players in the playing XI. However, with the Rajshahi overseas players absent, the BPL governing council made an exception, allowing the team to play without any foreign players in the XI. This marks a first in the history of the competition, leading to widespread disappointment and frustration, particularly within the BCB. "We have to take legal action by any means now," Iftekhar Rahman told The Daily Star via ESPN Cricinfo. "The money has to be paid. Otherwise, BPL's reputation will be ruined. The violation of contractual obligations like cheque dishonour and other issues will be addressed, and we will file cases for all matters, as per the merit of the breaches. The board has given them enough chances. But they have crossed all limits. They were given a contract. There are breach of contract clauses. Until today, we didn't take any action, but now, we will take all the legal actions against them."

Despite the payment troubles, Rajshahi's captain, Taskin Ahmed, led his team to a thrilling two-run victory over table-toppers Rangpur. During the post-match press conference, Taskin reflected on the chaotic day. "It was certainly a new experience," he said. "I heard that there was a problem with our hotel booking. There was probably a mix-up between the Sheraton and the Westin. We changed hotels [on Sunday morning] and then two hours before heading to the stadium, we heard that the foreign players won't go [to the match]. We got a call from the board, telling us that at least you [local] guys play. They called the foreign players, telling them that the payment will be cleared. Still [they] didn't come. When I asked [the overseas players], they said they won't play without money. I just said it's their call. What can I say, I am also a player. We really felt bad playing without the foreign players. We requested the board to play with local players. They allowed it, and then winning the game gave us some respite."

Taskin also confirmed that the local players received some payment on Sunday, though he expressed uncertainty about its clearance. "We were given the cheque today. We will place it today. One can hope [it goes through]. If the cheque bounces like this wicket, we are in trouble."

The entire experience left Taskin disheartened, though he remained committed to boosting his team's morale. "Everyone expects to play the BPL in a peaceful environment, so when these things happen, we get disappointed. BPL is quite popular this season, but our team is having problems. I tried to boost up the team by telling them that this is our stage to perform, regardless of what's happening elsewhere. The feeling is certainly not nice, but we are trying our best."