Bus driver locks players' kits as payment crisis strikes BPL; franchise leaves overseas players stranded in hotel

A payment crisis struck Bangladesh Premier League (BL) franchise Durbar Rajshahi, as the overseas cricketers and staff members have yet to receive their salaries. The development was confirmed by a top official of the Bangladesh Cricket Board to Cricbuzz just hours after the franchise owner, Shafiq Rahman, told the media that they had arranged return tickets for all the foreign players to their home country.

According to the website, the announcement was made after reports emerged that overseas players of the team, including Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe), and Miguel Cummins (West Indies), were left stranded in the hotel in Dhaka. The team management did not respond to any calls amid missed payment deadlines. While few of them received 25 per cent of their dues, rest had their entire payment waiting. In fact, some of the local players of the team left the team hotel without getting their entire salaries.

The matter had escalated to the level that the players had even refrained from practising, while the foreign players made themselves unavailable for the group-stage matches. While BCB said that they would intervene, the report added that the overseas cricketers of Durbar Rajshahi, who finished sixth in the ongoing BPL season and completed their campaign on January 27, is set to leave Bangladesh without their salaries.

"I just spoke with Ryan Burl and others and they said that they are yet to receive their dues," said a BCB official. "I am in regular contact with Rajshahi's owner and he is just saying that he is trying to get it done. Just yesterday, Bangladesh's sports adviser (Asif Mahmud) had met him and asked to clear the dues as soon as possible and he had agreed.

"By February 7, players should have received 75 percent of their payment while the rest should be cleared by March 8. Unfortunately that is not the case with Rajshahi which is hugely embarrassing."

Bus driver locks players' kits as payment crisis strikes BPL

It is not just the players who have been affected, even the staff members. On Sunday, the bus driver locked the kit bags of all the players in the vehicle, and said that he would only return it when his payment is cleared.

"It's a matter of regret and shame. If they had paid us, we would have given back the kit bag to the players. Till now, I have not opened my mouth but now I am saying that we can leave if they clear our payment," Mohammad Babul, bus driver of Rajshahi, told reporters in front of the team hotel.

"The kit bags of local and foreign cricketers are there in the bus but I cannot give them as large portion of our remuneration is yet not paid."

On Monday, Shafiq was taken into custody over the non-payment matter, but promised to clear all dues by February 7.