Barishal later selected both Shanto and Rishad at 15th and 43rd overall for local cricketers. Shanto has not been in good form of late and many believed Rishad’s availability was a bit unclear as Hobart Hurricane selected him for this season’s BBL.
Sylhet took Mashrafe Mortaza, who has starred for the same franchise in the past two seasons. Sylhet directly signed Jaker Ali while retaining Zakir Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Paul Stirling and George Munsey. Among the players they selected in the draft were Reece Topley, Rahkeem Cornwall and Samiullah Shenwari.
Pakistani cricketers Saim Ayub (Dhaka Capitals), Akif Javed (Rangpur Riders) and Mohammad Hasnain (Khulna Tigers) were the first three overseas picks, followed by James Fuller (Barishal) and Graham Clark (Chittagong).
Among the uncapped Bangladesh players, Nahid Rana (Rangpur), Habibur Rahman Sohan (Dhaka) and Jishan Alam (Rajshahi) were the initial selections.
BPL teams can continue to sign players directly until the scheduled start of the tournament on December 27. Barishal, Khulna, Sylhet and Rangpur are existing franchises while Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi are new franchises this season.
