Forget Sakib al Hasan or Tamim Iqbal, the biggest attraction in the players’ draft for the Dhaka Premier League was coach Khaled Mahmud for his dramatic switch to Abahani Limited from Prime Bank Cricket Club on Sunday. Mahmud guided Prime Bank to title last season and has a long-standing relationship with the corporate house, which bought former champions Old DOHS to join the top flight couple of seasons ago.
Mahmud was also their coaching director for a proposed academy and guided the team in Bangladesh Cricket League first-class tournament. His change of loyalty therefore came as a surprise.
Mahmud said he joined Abahani as they came up with a better offer, though Prime Bank officials dismissed the claim.
‘We were threatened by Abahani to release him,’ said Prime Bank Cricket Club general secretary Tajnil Chowdhury. ‘It’s a dirty game which we don’t want to play for a long period.’
-With New Age input
