The Dhaka Premier League is finally back for its eighth round of games today, four days after its originally scheduled return from the Eid break.
The league was set to resume on October 27, but that date was pushed back in light of the 60-hour hartal that began on the same day. Defending champions Victoria SC take on Abahani Limited at BKSP-3 today, while Gazi Tank Cricketers face Sheikh Jamal DC in Bogra and Prime Bank CC play Kalabagan Cricket Academy in Rajshahi.
The round concludes on Friday with matches between Mohammedan SC and Khelaghar SKS at BKSP-3, and Prime Doleshwar SC and Brothers Union in Bogra.
Kalabagan KC get a bye in the eighth round following the relegation of Cricket Coaching School, who were scratched from the league by the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis for failing to arrive on time for their match against Brothers at Fatullah on October 8.
The matches played involving CCS will no longer count towards the league table, which means there is a shake-up in the team standings after seven rounds.
The biggest losers in the equation are Abahani, whose only victory in the league to date was a 152-run win over CCS on September 12. The decision leaves Abahani in line for relegation, at the bottom of the table with zero points and a severely affected net run-rate. With CCS’ early relegation, only one other team will drop down after the league ends.
Brothers, the team that initially appealed against CCS, find themselves at the top of the table with nine points from six matches, as both Sheikh Jamal DC and Gazi Tanks drop to eight points with the removal of their wins over CCS.
Kalabagan CA, who had not played CCS before their relegation, have nine points from seven games.
Victoria drop to seven points and Prime Bank drop to six.
The other beneficiaries of the decision are Khelaghar SKS, who have their 45-run loss to CCS on October 4 expunged from the table and leapfrog Abahani into tenth place.
With the Bangladesh national team also slated to host New Zealand at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today in the second ODI of their three-match series, a number of key players will be missing from DPL action in this and subsequent rounds until the tour ends with a Twenty20 International on November 6.
Sheikh Jamal will be without national captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Abdur Razzak, as well as paceman Shafiul Islam, who was selected to the ODI side but subsequently replaced by Abahani’s Al-Amin Hossain due to injury.
Gazi Tanks lose national vice-captain Mahmudullah and first ODI hero Rubel Hossain, while Victoria lose batsmen Anamul Haque and Nasir Hossain.
Mohammedan will not have Mashrafee bin Murtaza or Shamsur Rahman available today against Khelaghar, one of two teams not to have players away on national team duty. The other team is Kalabagan CA, who take on a Prime Bank team missing Ziaur Rahman.
Prime Doleshwar lose Mominul Haque and Sohag Gazi, who each won a man-of-the-match award during the Test series, while today’s opponents, Brothers, are without star opener Tamim Iqbal.
Sakib al Hasan and Naeem Islam’s Kalabagan KC are out of action in this round but will be without the pair through the end of the New Zealand series and, in the case of Sakib, who was diagnosed with dengue fever before the first ODI, perhaps even longer.
-With New Age input
