Srinagar: In a shocking incident that once again puts question mark over the Bangladesh Premier League organization, a bus driver has refused to return kits of players over non payment of his charges.
Mohammad Babul, a bus driver of Bangladesh Premier League team Durbar Rajshahi, has locked players’ belongings inside the bus and has made it clear that he wouldn’t return the kit bags till his dues are cleared.
In recent times, Durbar Rajshahi is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The franchise owners are yet to clear dues of their players and staff, and on Sunday, it came to light that Mohammad Babul, who is the bus driver of the team has locked players kits inside the team’s bus and said he won’t return it till his dues are cleared.
“It’s a matter of regret and shame. If they had paid us, we would have given back the kit bag to the players. Till now, I have not opened my mouth, but now I am saying that we can leave if they clear our payment,” Mohammad Babul told reporters in front of the team hotel.
“The kit bags of local and foreign cricketers are there in the bus, but I cannot give them as a large portion of our remuneration is yet not paid,” he added.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, which quoted a top Bangladesh Cricket Board official, the foreign players and staff of the BPL team are yet to get their payments. Mohammad Haris of Pakistan, Aftab Alam of Afghanistan, Ryan Burl of Zimbabwe, Miguel Cummins, and Mark Deyal of the West Indies played for Durbar Rajshahi in the ongoing season of BPL, but they are still waiting for some portion of their payments.
The non-payment issue has already forced the players to boycott the team’s practice session, and the overseas players have made themselves unavailable in the group-phase game during the tournament.
“I just spoke with Ryan Burl and others, and they said that they are yet to receive their dues,” said a BCB official. “I am in regular contact with Rajshahi’s owner, and he is just saying that he is trying to get it done. Just yesterday, Bangladesh’s sports adviser (Asif Mahmud) had met him and asked to clear the dues as soon as possible, and he had agreed.
“By February 7, players should have received 75 percent of their payment, while the rest should be cleared by March 8. Unfortunately, that is not the case with Rajshahi, which is hugely embarrassing,” he added.
Durbar Rajshahi played 12 matches in the ongoing season of BPL and won six. They finished the season in fifth position in the points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs.