The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Durbar Rajshahi is facing major financial and administrative troubles, leaving its foreign players stranded in Dhaka. The five overseas players have not received their full payments, and the team owner and management have not responded to their concerns.
Durbar Rajshahi has been struggling with financial issues since the beginning of the BPL 2024-25, including non-payment to local players and overall mismanagement. The franchise’s problems worsened with its foreign players being stranded in Dhaka. Rajshahi’s campaign ended on Saturday, February 1.
Rajshahi’s Foreign Players Stranded in a Dhaka Hotel Due to Payment Issues
Rajshahi’s foreign players, including Mohammad Haris, Aftab Alam, Mark Deyal, Ryan Burl, and Miguel Cummins, are stranded in a Dhaka hotel as the franchise has not provided return tickets or cleared their dues.
Some players have only received 25% of their payment, while others haven’t been paid at all. They haven’t received their daily allowance for the past 11 days. The franchise’s owner and management have not responded to their concerns, leaving the players in a helpless situation.
“Cricketers Mohammad Haris, Aftab Alam, Mark Deyal, Ryan Burl and Miguel Cummins are stranded in their Dhaka hotel, waiting for their BPL team Durbar Rajshahi to give them payment and an air ticket to go back home. Rajshahi owner and management are unreachable to the players,” ESPNCricinfo Bangladesh correspondent wrote on X.
Durbar Rajshahi’s Foreign Players Refused to Take the Field Due to Non-Payment
Anamul Haque revealed that local players had not received any payments before the tournament, despite usually receiving 25% in advance. This led to a boycott of a training session in Chattogram by local players and a match boycott by overseas players.
Ryan Burl and Mohammad Haris returned to play to help Durbar Rajshahi stay in playoff contention, but they fell short on net run rate. Recently, Rajshahi issued new cheques to settle the dues, but all of them bounced, leaving the players without payment.
If He Fails to Do So, We Will Take Legal Steps” – Bangladesh’s Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud
Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman faced issues with the team hotel in Chattogram after failing to make timely payments. Photos went viral of security guards outside his room and his car being seized. When the team returned to Dhaka, they were forced to check out of another hotel due to payment problems.
On Saturday, Bangladesh’s sports adviser, Asif Mahmud, revealed that he spoke with Rahman and warned him of the legal consequences if the payments were not cleared. Mahmud said a fact-finding committee would investigate how the team’s situation had reached this point.
“I spoke to the Rajshahi owner, who assured us that he will clear the payments,” Mahmud said. “I have told him clearly that if he fails to do so, we will take legal steps. No more discussions. Our fact-finding committee will be looking into how this team came to be.”
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