BPL Auction: Mohammad Naim becomes most expensive player

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) player auction returned on Sunday after nine editions, marking the first auction since the inaugural edition in 2012. Previously, a players draft had been in place.

Mohammad Naim was the only player to exceed BDT 1 crore (approximately USD 88,000), bought by Chittagong Royals. He was the first player to come up in the auction, which began after a one-hour delay due to the board awaiting High Court clearance. This followed a writ petition filed by nine cricketers excluded from the auction over fixing-related charges.

Rangpur Riders secured the second and third most expensive players, purchasing Towhid Hridoy for USD 73,600 and Litton Das for USD 56,000. Initially, there were no bids for veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, both in category B. However, after a request from BCB director and Rangpur Riders chief executive Ishtiaque Sadeque, Mahmudullah was picked by Rangpur Riders, and Mushfiqur Rahim was taken by Rajshahi Warriors, both at their base price of BDT 35 lakh (approximately USD 28,000).

Among uncapped players, Habibur Rahman Sohan was acquired by Noakhali Express for USD 40,000, following strong performances for Bangladesh A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. Mohammad Mithun’s price rose from Tk22 lakh to Tk52 lakh after a bidding duel, while Abdul Gaffar Saqlain went from 18 lakh to 44 lakh, and SM Meherob Hasan reached 39 lakh.

While hundreds of foreign cricketers remained unsold, Dasun Shanaka was the most expensive overseas player, bought by Dhaka Capitals for USD 55,000. Noakhali Express picked Mahidul Islam and Jaker Ali at their base price due to auction guidelines. Teams were required to select a minimum of two cricketers from Grade A and B combined, with additional allowances for other categories.

Confusion arose when Chattogram Royals picked two cricketers consecutively, leading Rajshahi Warriors head coach Hannan Sarkar to claim Chattogram could not bid further in A and B categories. This allowed Noakhali to pick Mahidul and Jaker at base price without competition. Noakhali head coach Khaled Mahmud expressed satisfaction, stating, "I am happy to get those two cricketers at their base price because I didn't expect it."

Rangpur Riders team director Shanian Taneem clarified that Mahmudullah was always part of their plans despite no initial bid. "If anyone thinks Mahmudullah Riyad went unsold, that's not entirely correct. Every team had limitations… But Mahmudullah was always in our plans. A player of his calibre should be in any team's plans," said Shanian.

The BPL, scheduled from December 26 to January 23, will feature six teams: Dhaka Capitals, Rangpur Riders, Rajshahi Warriors, Noakhali Express, Sylhet Titans, and Chittagong Royals.