Bangladesh Premier League

Matches

1st Match: Barisal Burners v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 10, 2012

Sylhet Royals 165/4 (20/20 ov); Barisal Burners 167/0 (13.1/20 ov)

Barisal Burners won by 10 wickets (with 41 balls remaining)

Scorecard | Report | Article index (2) | Photo index (2)

2nd Match: Chittagong Kings v Duronto Rajshahi at Dhaka - Feb 10, 2012

Chittagong Kings 206/4 (20/20 ov); Duronto Rajshahi 153 (19.5/20 ov)

Chittagong Kings won by 53 runs

Scorecard | Report | Photo index (4)

3rd Match: Dhaka Gladiators v Khulna Royal Bengals at Dhaka - Feb 11, 2012

Khulna Royal Bengals 175/5 (20/20 ov); Dhaka Gladiators 156/7 (20/20 ov)

Khulna Royal Bengals won by 19 runs

Live scorecard | Desktop scorecard | Report

4th Match: Barisal Burners v Duronto Rajshahi at Dhaka - Feb 11, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

Live scorecard

5th Match: Chittagong Kings v Khulna Royal Bengals at Dhaka - Feb 12, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

Commentary

6th Match: Dhaka Gladiators v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 12, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

Commentary

7th Match: Barisal Burners v Khulna Royal Bengals at Dhaka - Feb 13, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

8th Match: Chittagong Kings v Dhaka Gladiators at Dhaka - Feb 13, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

9th Match: Duronto Rajshahi v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 14, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

10th Match: Barisal Burners v Dhaka Gladiators at Dhaka - Feb 14, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

11th Match: Chittagong Kings v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 15, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

12th Match: Duronto Rajshahi v Khulna Royal Bengals at Dhaka - Feb 15, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

13th Match: Barisal Burners v Chittagong Kings at Dhaka - Feb 16, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

14th Match: Dhaka Gladiators v Duronto Rajshahi at Dhaka - Feb 16, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

15th Match: Chittagong Kings v Khulna Royal Bengals at Chittagong - Feb 18, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

16th Match: Barisal Burners v Sylhet Royals at Chittagong - Feb 18, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

17th Match: Chittagong Kings v Duronto Rajshahi at Chittagong - Feb 19, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

18th Match: Dhaka Gladiators v Khulna Royal Bengals at Chittagong - Feb 19, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

19th Match: Barisal Burners v Duronto Rajshahi at Chittagong - Feb 20, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

20th Match: Khulna Royal Bengals v Sylhet Royals at Chittagong - Feb 20, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

21st Match: Dhaka Gladiators v Sylhet Royals at Chittagong - Feb 22, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

22nd Match: Barisal Burners v Khulna Royal Bengals at Chittagong - Feb 22, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

23rd Match: Chittagong Kings v Dhaka Gladiators at Dhaka - Feb 24, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

24th Match: Duronto Rajshahi v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 24, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

25th Match: Barisal Burners v Dhaka Gladiators at Dhaka - Feb 25, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

26th Match: Chittagong Kings v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 25, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

27th Match: Duronto Rajshahi v Khulna Royal Bengals at Dhaka - Feb 26, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

28th Match: Barisal Burners v Chittagong Kings at Dhaka - Feb 26, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

29th Match: Dhaka Gladiators v Duronto Rajshahi at Dhaka - Feb 27, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (08:00 GMT)

30th Match: Khulna Royal Bengals v Sylhet Royals at Dhaka - Feb 27, 2012

Match scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT)

1st semi-final: TBA v TBA at Dhaka - Feb 28, 2012

2nd semi-final: TBA v TBA at Dhaka - Feb 28, 2012

Final: TBA v TBA at Dhaka - Feb 29, 2012

Points Table

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Barisal	1	1	0	0	0	2	+4.434
Chittagong	1	1	0	0	0	2	+2.650
Rajshahi	1	0	1	0	0	0	-2.650
Sylhet	1	0	1	0	0	0	-4.434

Barisal Burners v Sylhet Royals

	Sylhet Royals innings (20 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Kamran Akmal†	c †Mithun Ali b Harwood	8	7	9	2	0	88.88
	1.4 caught †Mithun Ali 10/1
	Imrul Kayes	c Mominul Haque b Suhrawadi Shuvo	21	28	18	0	2	116.66
	7.3 caught Mominul Haque 52/2
	PD Trego	b Yasir Arafat	62	66	54	7	1	114.81
	19.2 bowled 157/3
	Alok Kapali	b Yasir Arafat	56	46	36	6	2	155.55
	19.4 bowled 158/4
	SB Styris	not out	7	3	2	0	1	350.00
	Sohail Tanvir	not out	1	2	1	0	0	100.00
	Extras	(lb 4, w 6)	10
	Total	(4 wickets; 20 overs; 78 mins)	165	(8.25 runs per over)

Did not bat Naeem Islam, GB Hogg, Noor Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shuvagata Hom

Fall of wickets 1-10 (Kamran Akmal, 1.4 ov), 2-52 (Imrul Kayes, 7.3 ov), 3-157 (Trego, 19.2 ov), 4-158 (Alok Kapali, 19.4 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Yasir Arafat	4	0	33	2	8.25	(2w)
	19.2 to Trego, bowled 157/3 19.4 to Alok Kapali, bowled 158/4
	SM Harwood	4	0	20	1	5.00
	1.4 to Kamran Akmal, caught †Mithun Ali 10/1
	CH Gayle	4	0	27	0	6.75	(2w)
	Nazmul Islam	4	0	36	0	9.00	(1w)
	Suhrawadi Shuvo	2	0	23	1	11.50
	7.3 to Imrul Kayes, caught Mominul Haque 52/2
	BJ Hodge	2	0	22	0	11.00	(1w)

	Barisal Burners innings (target: 166 runs from 20 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Ahmed Shehzad	not out	56	56	35	9	1	160.00
	CH Gayle	not out	101	56	44	7	10	229.54
	Extras	(b 2, lb 1, w 7)	10
	Total	(0 wickets; 13.1 overs; 56 mins)	167	(12.68 runs per over)

Did not bat Suhrawadi Shuvo, Mithun Ali†, Nazmul Islam, BJ Hodge, SM Harwood, Shahriar Nafees*, Mominul Haque, Yasir Arafat, Farhad Hossain

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Sohail Tanvir	3	0	20	0	6.66
	Rubel Hossain	2	0	25	0	12.50
	Naeem Islam	1	0	5	0	5.00
	SB Styris	1	0	27	0	27.00	(1w)
	GB Hogg	3	0	27	0	9.00	(1w)
	Noor Hossain	1.1	0	19	0	16.28	(1w)
	PD Trego	1	0	23	0	23.00
	Alok Kapali	1	0	18	0	18.00

Match details

Toss Barisal Burners, who chose to field Points Barisal Burners 2, Sylhet Royals 0

Twenty20 debut Nazmul Islam (Barisal Burners) Player of the match CH Gayle (Barisal Burners)

Umpires Anisur Rahman and DL Orchard (South Africa) TV umpire Sharfuddoula Match referee Raqibul Hasan Reserve umpire Masudur Rahman

Match notes

Sylhet Royals innings powerplay 1: overs 1 to 6 (41/1) 50 in 7.1 overs, 27 minutes 100 in 13.2 overs, 51 minutes 150 in 18.3 overs, 70 minutes PD Trego 50 in 45 balls, 55 minutes with 5 fours and 1 six Alok Kapali 50 in 33 balls, 40 minutes with 5 fours and 2 sixes Barisal Burners innings powerplay 1: overs 1 to 6 (70/0) Barisal Burners innings: 50 in 5.2 overs, 25 minutes Barisal Burners innings: 100 in 8.5 overs, 41 minutes Barisal Burners innings: 150 in 12 overs, 53 minutes Ahmed Shehzad 50 in 32 balls, 50 minutes with 8 fours and 1 six CH Gayle 50 in 26 balls, 36 minutes with 5 fours and 4 sixes CH Gayle 100 in 44 balls, 56 minutes with 7 fours and 10 sixes

Chittagong Kings v Duronto Rajshahi

	Chittagong Kings innings (20 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Tamim Iqbal	c Samuels b Mohammad Sami	3	10	7	0	0	42.85
	2.3 caught Samuels 14/1
	Jahurul Islam†	c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Ervine	11	21	13	0	1	84.61
	5.1 caught †Mushfiqur Rahim 31/2
	Nasir Jamshed	c Sabbir Rahman b Qaiser Abbas	56	46	38	5	3	147.36
	14.2 caught Sabbir Rahman 128/4
	JJ Roy	b Samuels	43	31	25	3	3	172.00
	13.2 bowled 122/3
	Mahmudullah*	not out	43	23	18	3	3	238.88
	DJ Bravo	not out	38	18	19	3	2	200.00
	Extras	(b 2, lb 2, w 8)	12
	Total	(4 wickets; 20 overs; 78 mins)	206	(10.30 runs per over)

Did not bat Ziaur Rahman, KJ Coetzer, Enamul Haque jnr, M Muralitharan, Arafat Sunny

Fall of wickets 1-14 (Tamim Iqbal, 2.3 ov), 2-31 (Jahurul Islam, 5.1 ov), 3-122 (Roy, 13.2 ov), 4-128 (Nasir Jamshed, 14.2 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Mohammad Sami	4	0	28	1	7.00
	2.3 to Tamim Iqbal, caught Samuels 14/1
	SM Ervine	4	0	39	1	9.75	(1w)
	5.1 to Jahurul Islam, caught †Mushfiqur Rahim 31/2
	Syed Rasel	2	0	29	0	14.50	(1w)
	MN Samuels	4	0	42	1	10.50	(1w)
	13.2 to Roy, bowled 122/3
	Abdul Razzaq	1	0	8	0	8.00
	Saqlain Sajib	2	0	26	0	13.00
	Asif Ahmed	1	0	16	0	16.00
	Qaiser Abbas	2	0	14	1	7.00	(1w)
	14.2 to Nasir Jamshed, caught Sabbir Rahman 128/4

	Duronto Rajshahi innings (target: 207 runs from 20 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	SM Ervine	c Roy b Bravo	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
	0.1 caught Roy 0/1
	Junaid Siddique	c Mahmudullah b Enamul Haque jnr	42	48	23	5	2	182.60
	9.3 caught Mahmudullah 80/4
	MN Samuels	c Mahmudullah b Bravo	6	2	3	0	1	200.00
	0.4 caught Mahmudullah 6/2
	Abdul Razzaq	b Enamul Haque jnr	21	24	23	2	0	91.30
	7.4 bowled 66/3
	Mushfiqur Rahim*†	c Ziaur Rahman b Enamul Haque jnr	22	21	19	1	0	115.78
	13.2 caught Ziaur Rahman 105/6
	Qaiser Abbas	b Mahmudullah	3	3	4	0	0	75.00
	10.3 bowled 85/5
	Sabbir Rahman	not out	41	37	28	1	3	146.42
	Asif Ahmed	c Roy b Bravo	5	10	10	0	0	50.00
	16.2 caught Roy 132/7
	Mohammad Sami	c Ziaur Rahman b Muralitharan	2	5	3	0	0	66.66
	17.1 caught Ziaur Rahman 136/8
	Syed Rasel	c Roy b Muralitharan	0	1	2	0	0	0.00
	17.3 caught Roy 136/9
	Saqlain Sajib	st †Jahurul Islam b Arafat Sunny	1	9	3	0	0	33.33
	19.5 stumped †Jahurul Islam 153/10
	Extras	(b 4, lb 1, w 5)	10
	Total	(all out; 19.5 overs; 80 mins)	153	(7.71 runs per over)

Fall of wickets 1-0 (Ervine, 0.1 ov), 2-6 (Samuels, 0.4 ov), 3-66 (Abdul Razzaq, 7.4 ov), 4-80 (Junaid Siddique, 9.3 ov), 5-85 (Qaiser Abbas, 10.3 ov), 6-105 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 13.2 ov), 7-132 (Asif Ahmed, 16.2 ov), 8-136 (Mohammad Sami, 17.1 ov), 9-136 (Syed Rasel, 17.3 ov), 10-153 (Saqlain Sajib, 19.5 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	DJ Bravo	3	0	17	3	5.66	(2w)
	0.1 to Ervine, caught Roy 0/1 0.4 to Samuels, caught Mahmudullah 6/2 16.2 to Asif Ahmed, caught Roy 132/7
	M Muralitharan	4	0	29	2	7.25
	17.1 to Mohammad Sami, caught Ziaur Rahman 136/8 17.3 to Syed Rasel, caught Roy 136/9
	Mahmudullah	4	0	24	1	6.00
	10.3 to Qaiser Abbas, bowled 85/5
	Arafat Sunny	3.5	0	44	1	11.47
	19.5 to Saqlain Sajib, stumped †Jahurul Islam 153/10
	Enamul Haque jnr	4	0	27	3	6.75	(1w)
	7.4 to Abdul Razzaq, bowled 66/3 9.3 to Junaid Siddique, caught Mahmudullah 80/4 13.2 to Mushfiqur Rahim, caught Ziaur Rahman 105/6
	KJ Coetzer	1	0	7	0	7.00

Match details

Toss Chittagong Kings, who chose to bat Points Chittagong Kings 2, Duronto Rajshahi 0

Twenty20 debut Asif Ahmed (Duronto Rajshahi) Player of the match DJ Bravo (Chittagong Kings)

Umpires JW Lloyds (England) and Sharfuddoula TV umpire Anisur Rahman Match referee MJ Procter (South Africa) Reserve umpire Masudur Rahman

Match notes

Chittagong Kings innings Powerplay: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 45 runs, 2 wickets) 50 in 6.2 overs, 28 minutes 100 in 11.5 overs, 46 minutes 150 in 15.6 overs, 64 minutes 200 in 19.3 overs, 76 minutes Nasir Jamshed 50 in 33 balls, 37 minutes with 5 fours and 3 sixes Duronto Rajshahi innings powerplay 1: overs 1 to 6 (52/2) 50 in 5.4 overs, 23 minutes 100 in 12.2 overs, 48 minutes 150 in 19.3 overs, 78 minutes

Gayle's explosive ton takes Barisal to win

Barisal Burners 167 for 0 (Gayle 101*, Shehzad 56*) beat Sylhet Royals 165 for 4 (Trego 62, Kapali 56) by 10 wickets
Scorecard

Where there is a Twenty20 tournament to be played, there is Chris Gayle to smash a hundred. He scored his fifth Twenty20 century in the past year to take Barisal Burners to an easy win against Sylhet Royals in the opening game of the Bangladesh Premier League. Sylhet's total of 165 seemed like a competitive one, but Gayle made a mockery of it, smashing 10 sixes and seven fours in his 101 off 44 balls. Barisal were home in 13.1 overs.

Keeping Gayle company was Pakistan's Ahmed Shehzad, who scored 56 off 35 balls with nine fours and a six. Sylhet's Australian import, Brad Hogg, could not keep Gayle quiet, and went for 27 in his three overs. Hogg didn't have it as bad as two other Sylhet overseas players - Peter Trego and Scott Styris went for 23 and 27 in their only overs.

BPL T20 Hot & cold opening

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) got underway in rather lukewarm fashion with a more than three-hour opening ceremony that had its share of organisational issues at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

The most disappointing aspect was the dearth of spectators at the start of the show with not more than three or four thousand dotting the stands well past the scheduled start. The stands began to fill around half an hour into the show, though coming into the stadium there was not the throngs outside one expected to see for an event of such magnitude. The general complaints heard among the few fans outside the stadium surrounded the high prices of tickets. Even with more people coming in the stadium could not have been more than half-full by the end of the show.

The ceremony started half an hour behind schedule with Ayub Bachchu and a group of children from the Shishu Academy doing a rendition of 'Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February', a tribute to the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement, after which Indian stars Bappi Lahiri and Shaan along with Kumar Bishwajit performed.

Then it was time for the President of People's Republic of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman to inaugurate the show after another round of pensive wait.

BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal and Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith then delivered their speeches as the paltry crowd grew restless. However, a decent display of acrobatics and fireworks brought some much needed life back into an already stalling show. The 'Beautiful Bangladesh' tourism video was shown followed by a classical dance performance consisting of legendary dancers Shamim Ara Nipa and Shibli Mohammad.

By then the stadium had begun to fill up and the show picked up with performances from Mila, Miles and Ayub Bachchu, again performing some of his biggest hits. The last hour of the show saw performances from Bollywood artists Bappi Lahiri and Shaan gracing the stage for a second time. The best was saved for last with a laser show by the International Dance Troupe after a dance performance by Bollywood sensations Bipasha Basu and Malaika Arora Khan. To close the show and cap off the night was another display of fireworks.

Even with a strong last hour it has to be said that the show dragged on at times and felt unorganised for the most, especially judging from the turnout -- where a packed house was generally expected.

Reporter Mahmudul Hasan

BPL T20 The low-down

The much talked-about Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 will roll into action today. Hopefully all the negative talk surrounding the BCB's new venture will be swept under the carpet, at least for a while, as the action begins in earnest with the match between Barisal Burners and Sylhet Royals which starts from 2pm at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Chittagong Kings take on Duronto Rajshahi at 6.30pm at the same venue in the other match of the opening day. As a cricket-crazy public looks forward to nineteen days of high-octane cricket, the buzz among the cricket fans will revolve around the strengths and weaknesses of the six franchises. Here is our take:

BARISAL BURNERS
Barisal have always been the underachieving team in domestic cricket but they could surprise many as the team think-tank bought the players with an eye to making a balanced side alongside icon player Shahriar Nafees; picking seven batsmen and two wicketkeeper-batsmen in in-form Mohammad Mithun and Phil Mustard. The seasoned T20 campaigner Brad Hodge will have the task of holding things together alongside the likes of Mominul Haque and Farhad Hossain but Barisal will definitely bank on dashing West Indies batsman Chris Gayle to draw early blood in the tournament.

There are proven performers Yasir Arafat and Shane Harwood in the pace bowling department while the spin attack sports a local look -- Sohrawardi Shuvo, Sohag Gazi and Nazmul Islam.

Barisal have made some smart choices when it came to picking local players like Mithun, who is in the form of his life in domestic cricket. With a balanced outfit, it is now time to dispel their long-standing reputation as underachievers.

CHITTAGONG KINGS
The big-spending franchise made a smart move when they handed over the team to coach Khaled Mahmud, who is highly respected in the domestic circuit for his cricketing nous.

The former Bangladesh captain has already proved his worth, shaping a team fit to deliver success on Bangladeshi wickets that offer low bounce and limited spin.

The focus will definitely be on dashing icon cricketer Tamim Iqbal who is expected to tear into oppositions with his likely partner Nasir Jamshed while the team will also expect some valuable contribution from Shoaib Malik. They also have in-form batsmen like Jahurul Islam and a solid middle-order with big-hitters Ziaur Rahman and Shamsur Rahman.

And one can't forget the names of Dwayne Bravo and skipper Mahmudullah Riyad, Muttiah Muralidaran, Enamul Haque and Jerome Taylor, who will be the attacking options. It is expected that Arafat Sunny and Sanjamul Haque will be capable of pulling their weights whenever picked.

DHAKA GLADIATORS
There is little to say when a batting line-up boasts players like Kieron Pollard, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed and the expected presence of Shahid Afridi in the tournament's latter stages can only increase the heart rates of the opposition bowlers.

Ashraful and Aftab might not have justified their talents yet but they are perhaps the cleanest hitters of cricket balls in the country while the lively Nazir can destroy any attack on his day. Pollard and Afridi need no introduction.

If the big stars fail then they have Nazimuddin, Darren Stevens and Alexei Kervezee in their arsenal to bear the responsibilities.

The bowling attack looks like a strong unit with Rana Naved Ul Hasan leading the way while skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has already showed that he is getting back his rhythm gradually to answer his low-price in the auction. The experienced Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood is also there, adding quality to the line-up.

In the spin department Elias Sunny and Mosharraf Hossain are more than capable of keeping things quiet, while they also have smart choices behind the stumps with Dhiman Ghosh and young Anamul Haque in the wicketkeeping position.

DURONTO RAJSHAHI
They are considered favourites not only because of their achievements on the domestic scene but also because of their strategy to put together the best brains in the team think-tank.

They have a solid batting order on paper as they have their captain and icon player Mushfiqur Rahim and West Indies Marlon Samuels who could be a key player in the tournament. The likes of Junaed Siddiqui, Asif Ahmed and the Canadian Rizwan Cheema will strengthen the line-up while Pakistani Qaiser Abbas is also a dependable left-hander in the middle-order.

The veteran but still energetic Pakistani Abdul Razzaq and Sean Ervine is expected to play a key role while Fawad Alam and Rajshahi's very own Sabbir Rahman could be called into action in critical times. Imran Tahir and Saqlain Sajib will be the lead spinners.

KHULNA ROYAL BENGALS
Cynics say money may talk this time for Shakib Al Hasan. There are whispers that the world's number one all-rounder is not as serious in domestic cricket as he is in the international circuit. And if that is the case then Khulna can expect something big in the tournament.

And Shakib picked up some important names for the shortest version of the game when he called the shots in the auction. Among the foreign brigade, the underrated West Indian Andre Russell, England basher Jos Buttler, Irishman Niall O'Brien and Herschelle Gibbs will be crucial. Among the locals, Nasir Hossain, the highest paid local cricketer, has the ability to justify his price.

There has been talk about the inclusion of aged players in the side but the presence of veteran Sanath Jayasuriya and the cool-headed Shivnarine Chanderpaul can give them some added advantage as well as be educational for the younger talent.

Fidel Edwards will lead the bowling attack with Shafiul Islam while the spin attack will be handled by Shakib and Abdur Razzak. And with a good fielding unit Khulna Royal Bengals is one of the teams to watch in the tournament.

SYLHET ROYALS
Although there is a dearth of batsmen of international quality, many still regard them as the most glamorous franchise in the competition.

The batting burden will fall on the shoulders of the in-form Imrul Kayes, Shuvogoto Hom and icon Alok Kapali and they will be desperately looking forward to support from Pakistan discards Kamran Akmal and Faisal Iqbal. Despite Kapali being there, all-rounder Peter Trego has been named captain of the team and the Englishman will need to make contributions with the bat as the Royals have enough bowlers to call upon.

Coach Stuart Law has weapons like Sohail Tanvir in the bowling department as well as Rubel Hossain, Gary Keedy, Brad Hogg the rejuvenated Australian chinaman bowler -- and promising leg-spinner Noor Hossain Munna in the mix.

The little-known Freddie Klokker and locals Naeem Islam, Faisal Hossain, Nadif Chowdhury and Arafat Salahuddin will lend the team the desired balance with a sound support staff and former selectors in

Reporter Mahmudul Hasan.

BPL in a spot of bother

The money-spinning Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 is set to kick off today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, but it was the spot-fixing allegation that hogged all the spotlight yesterday, even dwarfing the much hyped opening ceremony.

Pace spearhead Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the captain of the Dhaka Gladiators, has told two Bengali newspapers on Wednesday that a former national cricketer approached him with a spot-fixing offer in the lead-up to the BPL, the new venture of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

The reports said Mashrafe was asked to provide information on whether he would play certain matches and even whether he'd be wearing his sunglasses or cap. In exchange, he was told, he would be paid 15-20 per cent of the earnings from the spot-betting.

When contacted, Mashrafe said: "I don't want to talk about it again. I have told the team management and I am sure they will take the right steps in this regard. From what I've heard, the newspapers have reported it correctly. I haven't seen them but it was said that a player from Biman made the offer. I will stick with it. Please, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

The pace bowler has also threatened to pull out of the team's captaincy if he found anything wrong in his team during the tournament.

His disclosure was a talking point of the day.

"We learnt about it and asked the concerned authorities to investigate the allegations. It can happen and that's why we asked all the franchises to appoint a security official to make sure the players are aware of the consequences of this kind of crime," said Gazi Ashraf Hossain, chairman of the BPL governing council.

He also informed that an International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officer was already in Dhaka for the BPL and would be made aware of this new information. "We will definitely take all necessary action in this regard," he added.

"This is a very serious offence," said BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus.

"We have zero tolerance for these things and will do whatever is needed to nail it down quickly," said the board's media committee chairman, adding that Mashrafe had been asked to reveal the name of the player who made the approach.

Mashrafe is likely to speak to officials of ACSU in a couple of days.