Bangladesh Premier League franchises are racing to find replacements as high-profile Pakistani cricketers are unlikely to be available for the full season of the country’s only franchise-based T20 tournament. Their national commitments, including series against Sri Lanka and Australia, clash directly with the BPL schedule.
We are not sure for how many days we are going to get the Pakistani cricketers because they are not available for the whole season. They have a series against Sri Lanka in the middle of January.
He added: “They are also slated to take on Australia at the end of January as part of their T20 World Cup preparation. Taking everything into consideration, we have to look for other options apart from Pakistani cricketers.”
Franchises Turn to Afghanistan and Other Markets
Several teams have already begun exploring alternatives, targeting players from Afghanistan and other international pools.
Other leagues will also be going on, so we need players who can arrive, play their matches, then leave for other commitments.
Top Pakistani Signings Now in Doubt
A host of leading Pakistani cricketers had been snapped up by BPL teams, including rising opener Saim Ayub, recently ranked the No.1 T20 all-rounder, along with Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Imad Wasim and Khushdil Shah.
Pakistan’s packed calendar includes three T20Is against Sri Lanka on 7, 9 and 11 January in Dambulla, followed by a camp in Sri Lanka as part of their T20 World Cup build-up. They will then host Australia for a three-match T20I series in the final week of January. With the BPL running from 26 December to 23 January, the overlap is unavoidable.
Possible Short-Term Availability for Early BPL Phase
There remains a slim possibility that some Pakistani players could feature briefly, either before the Sri Lanka series or in the short gap between the Sri Lanka and Australia assignments.
The Sylhet Titans announced on December 7 that Saim Ayub would join them for the season. The young all-rounder confirmed the news via a video message, saying he was eager to play in front of Sylhet’s fans.
Assalamu Alaikum Bangladesh. This is Saim Ayub, and I’ll be joining Sylhet Titans for this season’s BPL. Let’s support us. I hope this season will be successful, and I can’t wait to catch up with my teammates and play in front of the Sylheti fans.
Players Outside World Cup Plans May Still Feature
Cricketers not in Pakistan’s immediate World Cup selection frame may still be released to participate in the tournament. However, the most sought-after names are set to be restricted to the early phase in Sylhet, if at all, before national duties take precedence in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India from 7 February to 8 March.
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