BSS, Dhaka :
The draft of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), the lone franchised-based first class competition of the country was held on Thursday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Four franchisees-South and North, owned by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Central Zone owned Walton and East Zone led by Islami Bank picked up their players from the draft.
Every franchise had the option to retain six players from the previous edition and Islami Bank East Zone retained Test captain Mominul Haque and senior opener Tamim Iqbal. At the same time, they recruited another senior player Mushfiqur Rahim from the draft to form a formidable team on paper.
However injury forced Tamim to miss the tournament, slated to start from December 10. The tournament is seen as the preparation for Bangladesh for the upcoming two-match Test series in New Zealand.
T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad who had recently retired from Test format was picked up by BCB North Zone but he is reportedly to seek rest from the league.
The BCB is also planning to add an ODI format after the completion of the four-day competition of BCL. Both of the formats will be held as single basis, meaning the teams will get three matches.
