Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Durbar Rajshahi has been constantly in the news due to payment issues from the start of this season, and now the situation has worsened to the point where players are stuck at the hotel due to financial woes.
Not just the players, but also Durbar Rajshahi’s support staff and even the bus driver didn’t receive their payments despite the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League 2024-25 (BPL 2024-25) reaching its final stages. There were also reports that the Durbar team owner, Md. Shafiqur Rahman was set to flee from the country, forcing the Bangladesh government to intervene.
Government steps in as Durbar Rajshahi faces severe payment crisis in BPL 2024-25
As the Ministry of Youth and Sports has stepped in to address the growing chaos surrounding the Durbar Rajshahi due to dues, Md Shafiqur Rahman has now promised to clear all outstanding payments to players and staff by February 10.
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Earlier, Rahman had promised to settle 50% of the dues by February 2, but he failed to fulfill his commitment. It led the sports advisor, Asif Mahmud, to personally contact the Durbar Rajshahi owner. He also issued a stern warning to Md Shafiqur Rahman about the consequences if he fails to clear all the dues by this final deadline.
The Bangladesh government has also formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the payment issues of the players in the BPL organized by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Well, Rahman has promised to clear all dues in three installments of 25% each, on February 3, 7, and 10.
Necessary legal actions will be taken against Md Shafiqur Rahman if he fails to clear all dues
The Ministry of Youth and Sports stated in a press release, “Darbar Rajshahi owner Md Shafiq Rahman accepted his fault and promised to clear all dues of the team in three installments of 25 percent each on February 3, 7, and 10. He also assured that alongside the players, everyone involved with the team would also receive their payments in each installment. Otherwise, whatever necessary legal actions will be taken against him.”
Meanwhile, the payment crisis worsened for the Rajshahi franchise in the BPL 2024-25, as overseas players were left stranded at their hotel in Dhaka. Pakistan’s Mohammad Haris, Afghanistan’s Aftab Alam, West Indies’ Mark Deyal, Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl, and another West Indian, Miguel Cummins, were still waiting for their dues, and they snuck into their hotel.
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It is being said that a couple of players received just 25% of their payments, but some haven’t received anything at all. To add to their troubles, the Durbar Rajshahi team bus driver reportedly claimed he was holding the players’ kit bags as ransom because he hadn’t been paid either.
Ryan Burl gets his flight ticket; the rest will get theirs within two days
Ryan Burl was the first to get a flight ticket and left early Monday (February 3). However, the franchise has confirmed that Haris was scheduled to depart later the same day, with the remaining players set to leave within the next two days to their respective countries.
Notably, Anamul Haque was the first one who revealed that local players hadn’t received any payments before the start of the tournament. Frustrated by the situation, the local players skipped a training session in Chattogram last month, while the overseas players boycotted a match.
