Mashrafee, Shakib in doubt for BPL

Chittagong Kings and Sylhet Strikers officials said on Wednesday that they are unsure about the participation of Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafee Bin Mortaza in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), country’s lone franchise-based T20 tournament starting from 30 December.

Kings picked Shakib as direct signing while Strikers picked Mashrafee, who played for them in the last two editions of BPL, from the player’s auction.

Both of them were lawmakers of the previous Awami League government while following the fall of Sheikh Hasina cases were filed against them respectively.

Shakib was asked not to return home to play his last Test due to security reasons.

“I am not sure whether he is available or not because I know what you know,” Sameer Quader Chowdhury, owner of Kings, told Daily Sun on Wednesday.

“Without Shakib (we are thinking about the team) and I am still in my previous position and I can’t understand (whether we will get him or not) and it’s tough to say and we will understand better after a while,” he said.

“I have already taken a foreign replacement (for Shakib) and now we have to form the XI differently if he (Shakib) is not available,” he added.

When contacted, Strikers officials insisted that they are not sure about participation of Mashrafee for them in their next campaign.

“I think it is too early to say anything in this regard (whether Mashrafee will play for us or not),” said the official. The official pointed his fingers on the recent dispute between Strikers owners though BCB officials confirmed that it was solved amicably.

Mashrafee was sued for alleged "forcible takeover" of a US expatriate's shares of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) team Sylhet Strikers.

The expatriate, Sarowar Golam Chowdhury, filed the case with the Pallabi Police Station in the capital's Mirpur.

Sarwar was the chairman of Sylhet Strikers at the time of its purchase from the BCB.