Dhaka Premier League decides to 'BAN' foreign players including Indians for the first time

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made a major announcement on Sunday by excluding the participation of foreign cricketers in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League (DPL 2020). The Dhaka Premier League is country's premier 50-over tournament, and it was the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), a wing of BCB, that took the decision to not include DPL overseas players from the upcoming season.

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DPL overseas players 

According to a report by a leading cricket website, legendary cricketers like Wasim Akram, Richard Illingworth, Arjuna Ranatunga and Sanath Jayasuriya have been some of the DPL overseas players in the past. Ranji Trophy great Wasim Jaffer and India Under-19 World Cup winning skipper Unmukt Chand have also been associated with the tournament.  The last year's edition of Dhaka Premier League witnessed 15 Indian cricketers along with four Sri Lankans and five Pakistani players as DPL overseas players.

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DPL 2020: Why overseas players have been excluded this season?

During last year's strike, the Bangladesh cricketers had placed a 13-point demand in which one point stated that there should be an open market for cricketers in the Dhaka Premier League instead of players by choice. Speaking to the cricket website Kazi, Inam Ahmed, the CCDM chairman said that the board is just trying to see what local players can do if there is no foreign player. He also added that the BCB also don't allow foreign players in the BCL (Bangladesh Cricket League) or NCL (National Cricket League). 

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DPL 2020 schedule 

The Dhaka Premier League (DPL 2020) is expected to take place from March 15 while the players' transfer will be held from March 3 to 5. The DPL 2020 schedule will also see the traditional signing of players by the clubs, making a comeback. A special CCDM desk will be set up in Sylhet for registration of national cricketers, who will be busy with the ODI series against Zimbabwe. The first three to four rounds of the upcoming Dhaka Premier League will be played in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.

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