The latest edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has been marred by chaotic scenes descending to comedy, as teams make puzzling decisions when selecting their captains and players express their outrage at umpire rulings. In the opening match of day two of the latest season of Bangladesh’s premier T20 tournament, SoumyaSarkar, a Dhaka Dominators batsman, was initially declared out, but the decision was later overturned to not-out.
The on-field umpire called SoumyaSarkar of Khulna Tigers out after Nasum Ahmed managed to hit his pads, but Soumya wasn’t convinced and requested a review. After the third umpire declared him out on the giant screen following a review, the decision was overturned instantly, and the batter was ultimately declared not out.
The entire episode was a source of controversy, as the authorities were unable to utilize DRS – a widely used technology that can clearly determine if the batter is out or not in such situations. TamimIqbal, Bangladesh’s ODI captain and a senior player from Khulna, was seen vehemently protesting the umpire’s decision after Soumya was controversially declared not out following a review. It was not the only controversy of the day.
Ahead of the second match of the day, Fortune Barishal – a franchisee playing their first match of the season – declared they would determine their captain prior to each match, prompting laughter from the followers of the event. The cricketing world was surprised when, instead of Shakib Al Hasan, MehidyHasanMiraz was seen performing the toss on Saturday for Barishal. This was in contrast to the expectations that Shakib would lead the team, as he had done the previous season. But then, the team made a rare announcement – the captain will now be determined ahead of each match!
It appears that Barishal may have a new captain for their next match, and possibly for upcoming matches too!
Another hilarious episode occurred when Mushfiqur Rahim stepped in to perform the toss for Sylhet Strikers in place of their usual captain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. It was later discovered that Mashrafe was unable to be present for the toss due to personal matters.The Strikers’ playing XI sheet, provided to the media by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), bears the signature of Mushfiqur at the top of captain Mashrafe’s name, accompanied by the handwritten text- “on behalf of”.
They, however, tried to come up with a hint for a joke that they would crack!
