Bangladesh Premier League: Snubbed players shift focus to domestic cricket

National call-up, PSL contracts main aim for Pakistanis after BPL disappointment.

KARACHI: After the disappointment of missing out on the  Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Pakistan’s players are aiming to do well in domestic cricket in hopes of getting called up for the national team as well as securing good contracts in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had decided against allowing its players to become a part of BPL’s second edition as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had twice backtracked from their decision of sending their national team here.

“Although it’s hard, we need to move on from the disappointment of missing out on the BPL,” one of the top players told The Express Tribune. “Now our immediate aim is to do well in domestic cricket so that we can get a chance to play for the national team and to land good contracts in PSL.”

He further said that while experienced players could survive easily without any financial constraints, many new players, who were contracted to the BPL, had the chance of earning well.



Another player added there were players who could have  gone on to live better lives after playing in BPL as there is hardly any money involved in Pakistan’s domestic cricket.

“More than two dozen players could have earned millions,” he said. “It would’ve helped them to live a stable life as not everybody gets the chance to play regularly for Pakistan.”

He said he hoped PSL would become a reality as several players are now looking forward to participate in Pakistan’s own glamorous Twenty20 league.

“After the PCB decided against releasing players, some of them were promised extra incentives to come and play in the BPL at any cost. We were told that our contracts would be made tax free and initial contracts would be increased but we rejected it for the PSL.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2013.