The exclusion of master-hitter Chris Gayle from Barisal Bulls' playing eleven in yesterday's qualifier against Rangpur Riders in Mirpur surprised all and sundry.

Barisal skipper Mahmudullah Riyad first revealed it during the toss.

“He will not be able to play with us due to his commitment to the Big Bash League (BBL),” Mahmudullah said, while referring to Gayle's commitment for the Melbourne Renegades in the competition, which is scheduled to begin on December 17.

Certain franchises in the BBL require their players to join their teams a week before the start of the competition. Initially, there was speculation that Gayle, who had a five-match contract with the Bulls leading to the December 15 final, had left due to this rule.

However, the BPL governing council has taken the Gayle 'no show' episode very seriously.

“We feel that the decision to not play Gayle is suspicious because from what we knew he was supposed to play five matches. We are going to investigate the matter,” said BPL governing council chairman Afzalur Rahman Sinha.

“We were told by the franchise that Gayle was injured and that he decided to leave for the BBL. If that was the case then he could have met our medical team and we could have figured out a solution. The reason why we have made this statement is because many people have been asking us regarding his absence,” he added.

Gayle, who recently underwent back surgery, played four games for the Bulls in what were his first competitive appearances since recovering. Although he started slowly, scoring 16 in his first two games, he returned to his belligerent best with 47-ball unbeaten 92 in a crucial group league game against Chittagong Vikings. Gayle also scored a quick-fire 31 against Dhaka Dynamites on Saturday in match that the Bulls won convincingly to set up yesterday's clash against the Riders.