Image Credit- BCB
Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe of Bangladesh has
expressed dissatisfaction with the Bangladesh Premier League’s current form,
claiming that it hasn’t contributed to the growth of T20 cricket in the nation.
Hathurusinghe drew attention to the BPL’s dearth of local players in important
bowling and batting positions, as teams frequently rely on their foreign stars
during pivotal moments. Additionally, he stated that the ICC ought to intervene
in order to guarantee that rules are in place regarding players competing in
various events during the same window.
“We [Bangladesh] don’t have a proper T20
tournament,” Hathurusinghe told ESPNcricinfo. “This sounds very odd.
When I am watching the BPL, I sometimes turn off the TV. Some players are not
even of the [required] class. I have a big issue with the current system. The
ICC need to step in. There has to be some regulations. A player is playing one
tournament and then he is playing another tournament. It is like a circus.
Players will talk about opportunities, but that’s not right. People will lose
interest. I have lost interest.”
Hathurusingha said that the Bangladesh players must be given central roles in
the BPL.
“We need to have a tournament where our players can do things like batting
in the top three… Bangladesh bowlers bowling in the death,” he said.
“Where will we learn these things otherwise? We have only one
tournament.”
This season, Comilla Victorians, Khulna Tigers, and
Rangpur Riders have employed more local players, while Chattogram Challengers,
Sylhet Strikers, and Durdanto Dhaka have relied more on foreign players for
their top three spots.
As an illustration, Comilla’s bowling lineup consists of twelve bowlers. They
have utilised eight foreign bowlers up to this point. During this time, Khulna
and Dhaka have also depended more on foreign bowlers. There have been more
local bowlers used in Chattogram, Rangpur, Barishal, and Sylhet.
The fact that Abu Hider took five wickets for Rangpur against Fortune Barishal
further highlighted the underutilization of indigenous bowlers. He missed a few
games, but on his second appearance, he claimed five wickets.