Focus on Shakib, Tamim as DPL begins

Members of the Bangladesh national team will not be available immediately for the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL), starting from today across three venues, but the hype around the lone fifty-over club-based domestic competition of the country will not be dulled as star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and opener Tamim Iqbal are set to feature from the beginning of the tournament. 

The focus will be on the two national team stalwarts -- Shakib and Tamim, both of whom are sitting out the Tigers' ongoing home series against Sri Lanka -- as they are expected to be in action on the opening day.

Tamim's Prime Bank will face Shinepukur Cricket Club at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah and Shakib's Sheikh Jamal will take on Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy at BKSP-3 ground today.

Meanwhile, the domestic competition will also serve as a platform for Mohammad Saifuddin, playing for holders Abahani Limited. Saifuddin was overlooked for the national team despite playing a pivotal role in Fortune Barishal clinching their maiden Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title earlier this month.

"We have a balanced side but the first match will be important and we will try to start with a win. I think the pressure is more to become the champions than playing good cricket," Saifuddin told reporters yesterday.

Saifuddin also felt that it was the right decision by the Tigers' team management to leave him out for the ongoing series as the 27-year-old himself did not want to rush things, having made a comeback following a back injury.

"Maybe it would have been too early and I think the team wanted what is best for me. It would have been difficult for me to return to the national team after playing high-intensity matches in a short span of time during the BPL as I also played the final [on March 1]. I think I will get the opportunity if I play well in the DPL. So, I don't want to rush."