The forthcoming Dhaka Premier League should be wide open, with several teams having near-equal chances of winning after players were transferred through the newly-introduced system, according to a number of team officials. This contrasts the lead-in to last season, when it was not too difficult to predict that eventual champions Victoria Sporting Club would prevail after they came in with a strong line-up consisting of major international stars.
The ‘players by choice’ transfer system in place for this edition meant that it was not possible for any of the bigger sides to use their financial strength to form strong teams full of stars.
‘There is no clear-cut favourite in this league,’ said Khaled Mahmud, coach of Prime Bank Limited.
‘Strength-wise, most of the sides are in the same bracket,’ he continued.
‘Some teams did suffer, as luck did not favour them during the lottery to determine the selection order for each round,’ he added, commenting on his own team’s luck in the lottery process.
‘But still, overall, no team could say they could not develop a good side due to “exterior pressure”.’
Mahmud added that acquiring the services of renowned foreign cricketers would not be easy.
‘The squads that were finalised on Sunday need to be given maximum attention, rather than depending on foreign players,’ he said, ‘The domestic season has started in most parts of the cricket world, and that seems to be the major hindrance in the way of getting foreign players.’
Prime Doleshwar coach Mizanur Rahman said the unavailability of foreign cricketers could provide a major opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent.
‘It would be useless to pick up ordinary cricketers from abroad, as they would require time to adapt and that can be costly for any side,’ said Mizanur.
‘So the local youngsters can be rest assured that they will eventually have opportunity to play. The team that can get the maximum advantage from them will be certainly ahead in the league,’ he added.
Khaled Mashud, who will be at the helm of Mohammedan Sporting Club, pointed out that the impact of the young players would be doubled when the national cricketers leave to fulfil their international commitments.
‘Some teams look to be very strong on paper, but one should remember that those teams will not have the chance to play the entire league with the same strength,’ said Mashud.
‘This league will reflect the true character of players in every sense as they are divided to a great extent, unlike before, when a certain major star’s arrival at a club also ensured some of his pals would also join,’ he said.
-With New Age input
