A battle between Mash and Tamim

DPL kicks off today with three matches

The Dhaka Premier League (DPL) begins today at different venues across the city with the battle between Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal generating a huge enthusiasm.
On the first day of the league three matches will be held but the match which will be the centre of attraction is Abahani Limited vs Kalabagan Krira Chakra (KKC), the teams led by Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza respectively.
Abahani formed a star-studded team with an aim to regain the championship title after three years. On paper KKC isn’t the force to reckon with but when Mashrafe leads any team, it should be in the contention. Mashrafe’s past record as a captain forced everybody to give the KKC some respect.
Overlooked by the giants during the players’ draft of the DPL, Mashrafe also looked determined to take KKC, the number 10th team in the past season, in a respectable position. Only left arm spinner Abdur Razzak and paceman Robiul Islam Shiblu are the known faces in Mashrafe’s team while the other players aren’t much known to the general people. When the Icon and players with A+ category were distributed during the players’ draft, Mashrafe was taken by KKC who was in 11th position in the lottery to call a player. The first 10 teams including the likes of Abahani, Mohammedan, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Prime Doleshwar and even Kalabagan Cricket Academy ignored the captain of Bangladesh ODI and T20 team despite his rich profile as a captain and player. That was a massive setback to the player who remains gutted still.
“Playing in a team like Kalabagan is always challenging. The team hasn’t any hope to clinch the title like Abahani or Mohammedan but they can hope to qualify into the super league at least. It’s a challenge for me on personal ground also. Hope we’ll have a good start to the league,” Mashrafe said.
The match between KKC and Abahani will be held at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. Reigning champions Prime Bank Cricket Club will take on Gazi Group Cricket at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium while runners-up Prime Doleshwar lock horns Cricket Coaching School at BKSP-3 ground in the day’s other matches.
Even though Mashrafe was gutted, he is thinking about the chance of his team practically.
“The match could be one-sided, considering the strength of Abahani. At the same time, it is cricket, so we can give them a huge fight and even can win the match. I stay positive always and hope for the best,” he said.
“The team has recruited me with much expectation. I don’t think I have anything to prove. What I want is to take Kalabagan in a respectable position. I want to give my best,” Mashrafe informed.
Apart from Tamim Iqbal, Abahani got players like Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Abul Hasan Raju, Jubair Hossain Likhon, Under-19 star Nazmul Hossain Shanto and ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. The latter though would miss the group phase of DPL due to his IPL commitment.
On paper, Abahani looks formidable. If someone has no faith on paper’s strength, they might look at the performance of Abahani in the practice match where they flexed batting muscle to outclass defending champions Prime Bank Cricket Club.
“Whatever the strength is, you have to perform in the field,” said Abahani captain Tamim Iqbal. “We want a good start to the league. A win at the beginning of any league or tournament will give you the edge. I hope our players will come up with their best.”
The DPL has generated more interest this season because of the participation of the national players. This is the first time in the past five or six years that almost all national players are taking part in the DPL from the beginning.
Mashrafe thinks the league should be the platform for the young players to take them in the selection radar.
“A good player always comes from the one-day tournament and first class cricket. DPL is the most competitive league in our country. If you judge a player for his performance in the BPL, it shouldn’t be good. T20 cricket shouldn’t be the standard of judging any player. Yes some players may come from T20 cricket but everyone should focus on DPL and first class cricket to judge a young player.”
Walton however became the title sponsor of the most coveted league for the fourth straight time.

A battle between Mash and Tamim

DPL kicks off today with three matches

The Dhaka Premier League (DPL) begins today at different venues across the city with the battle between Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal generating a huge enthusiasm. On the first day of the league three matches will be held but the match which will be the centre of attraction is Abahani Limited vs Kalabagan Krira Chakra (KKC), the teams led by Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza respectively. Abahani formed a star-studded team with an aim to regain the championship title after three years. On paper KKC isnt the force to reckon with but when Mashrafe leads any team, it should be in the contention. Mashrafes past record as a captain forced everybody to give the KKC some respect. Overlooked by the giants during the players draft of the DPL, Mashrafe also looked determined to take KKC, the number 10th team in the past season, in a respectable position. Only left arm spinner Abdur Razzak and paceman Robiul Islam Shiblu are the known faces in Mashrafes team while the other players arent much known to the general people. When the Icon and players with A+ category were distributed during the players draft, Mashrafe was taken by KKC who was in 11th position in the lottery to call a player. The first 10 teams including the likes of Abahani, Mohammedan, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Prime Doleshwar and even Kalabagan Cricket Academy ignored the captain of Bangladesh ODI and T20 team despite his rich profile as a captain and player. That was a massive setback to the player who remains gutted still. Playing in a team like Kalabagan is always challenging. The team hasnt any hope to clinch the title like Abahani or Mohammedan but they can hope to qualify into the super league at least. Its a challenge for me on personal ground also. Hope well have a good start to the league, Mashrafe said. The match between KKC and Abahani will be held at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. Reigning champions Prime Bank Cricket Club will take on Gazi Group Cricket at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium while runners-up Prime Doleshwar lock horns Cricket Coaching School at BKSP-3 ground in the days other matches. Even though Mashrafe was gutted, he is thinking about the chance of his team practically. The match could be one-sided, considering the strength of Abahani. At the same time, it is cricket, so we can give them a huge fight and even can win the match. I stay positive always and hope for the best, he said. The team has recruited me with much expectation. I dont think I have anything to prove. What I want is to take Kalabagan in a respectable position. I want to give my best, Mashrafe informed. Apart from Tamim Iqbal, Abahani got players like Taskin Ahmed, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Abul Hasan Raju, Jubair Hossain Likhon, Under-19 star Nazmul Hossain Shanto and ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. The latter though would miss the group phase of DPL due to his IPL commitment. On paper, Abahani looks formidable. If someone has no faith on papers strength, they might look at the performance of Abahani in the practice match where they flexed batting muscle to outclass defending champions Prime Bank Cricket Club. Whatever the strength is, you have to perform in the field, said Abahani captain Tamim Iqbal. We want a good start to the league. A win at the beginning of any league or tournament will give you the edge. I hope our players will come up with their best. The DPL has generated more interest this season because of the participation of the national players. This is the first time in the past five or six years that almost all national players are taking part in the DPL from the beginning. Mashrafe thinks the league should be the platform for the young players to take them in the selection radar. A good player always comes from the one-day tournament and first class cricket. DPL is the most competitive league in our country. If you judge a player for his performance in the BPL, it shouldnt be good. T20 cricket shouldnt be the standard of judging any player. Yes some players may come from T20 cricket but everyone should focus on DPL and first class cricket to judge a young player. Walton however became the title sponsor of the most coveted league for the fourth straight time.