Rajshahi’s overseas players are stuck in their Dhaka hotel after the franchise missed several payment deadlines. The players, awaiting flight tickets home, have not received responses from the team owner or management regarding their payments. At the time of this report, they were still in Dhaka.
Rajshahi got eliminated from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Saturday after Khulna Tigers defeated Dhaka Capitals in the final league match. Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe), and Miguel Cummins (West Indies) are among the players waiting for payment. Some have received 25% of their dues, while others haven’t been paid at all. Additionally, the players haven’t received their daily allowances for the past 11 days.
The franchise has faced financial troubles throughout the tournament. Anamul Haque, a local player, revealed that local players did not receive their 25% payment before the tournament. This led to overseas players boycotting training sessions and a match. Burl and Haris returned to play later, but Rajshahi failed to qualify for the playoffs. They missed out due to a deficit in net run rate.
Earlier, Rajshahi’s owner, Shafique Rahman, ran into trouble over delayed payments to a hotel in Chattogram, resulting in security personnel outside his room and his car being seized. When the team returned to Dhaka, they were forced to check out of a hotel for similar reasons.
Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud spoke to Rahman, warning him of legal action if the payments weren’t cleared. He also said the BPL governing council had failed to properly vet the Rajshahi franchise when they joined the tournament.
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