Home ›› 20 Jan 2022 ›› Sport
The Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League 2022 is getting closer by the day, and with less than 48 hours remaining, all the teams are ready to put a show on in the country’s most popular domestic event.
Comilla Victorians, Sylhet Sunrisers, and Chattogram Challengers trained at the BCB Academy Ground in Mirpur, whereas Fortune Barishal trained at the Masco-Shakib Academy in Dhaka.
Two days before the tournament, Comilla announced Imrul Kayes as their skipper, whereas Khulna Tigers added Under-19 World Cup-winning opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim to their ranks.
Khulna’s appointment of Tanzid may have been due to opener Soumya Sarkar testing positive for Covid-19, but they have denied such rumours.
“We have signed Tanzid from outside the draft as we had signed fewer players from the draft. He hasn’t been brought in as a replacement for anybody,” Khulna manager Nafees Iqbal said.
Ahead of the tournament, Barishal unveiled their jersey on Tuesday, and skipper Shakib Al Hasan said they had a balanced side.
“I feel that we have a balanced side. Maybe once we start playing, some holes will appear, which we will try to overcome. If we can all work together, we might be able to find a result,” the all-rounder said during the jersey unveiling ceremony at a city hotel in Dhaka on Tuesday.
He added, “All six teams will want to be champions. Everyone has a balanced side. In the end, it will depend on who plays well on the field. We will try to do well on the pitch.”
Comilla skipper Imrul, who had previously lifted the BPL trophy with the same franchise in 2019, said that having a good start was important.
“Starting well is important in a tournament like BPL. If you can start well, you get momentum early on. Then the chances of playing well increase. There will be some extra thrill for me. I will try to play in the way the team wants,” he told reporters.
Chattogram, who have returned for their second attempt at the trophy, have appointed former Australian speedster Shaun Tait as their bowling coach and he asked his players to carry themselves with confidence.
“There has been a lot of talk about our youngsters. You might perceive that as inexperience and a team that is an underdog. But we certainly won’t be playing like that. Our message from the coaching staff is to be confident. If we can act like winners and carry ourselves with confidence, we will be okay,” Tait said in a video message.
He added that there will be a clear and simple plan for their pacers, “I want to keep things as clear and simple as possible. For me, I love talking about death bowling. Especially here, in this stadium (Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka), I think it’s really important. Any strategy I can talk about is keeping things simple and disciplined throughout the tournament.”
Chattogram batsman Sabbir Rahman said they would be playing for the trophy.
“Of course, we will play to become champions. As for personal goals, I have nothing fixed. I will take it match by match and will try to give my all,” he said.
