The much anticipated Dhaka Premier League is all set to start Friday as defending champion Abahani Limited take on Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Pratishthan in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
In the other matches of the day, Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited will face off against newly promoted Uttara Sporting Club at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, while Legends of Rupganj will lock horns with Brothers Union at BKSP.
And ahead of their opening match, Abahani coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon said the DPL is the most prestigious and competitive domestic tournament in Bangladesh.
“DPL is the most prestigious tournament in Bangladesh. It is highly competitive as well. This league will be important for local players, and also crucial for players who are in contention for the World Cup this year,” said Mahmud after training in Mirpur’s academy ground Thursday.
Abahani have retained Mashrafe bin Mortaza this season.
#Abahani face #Uttara in #DPL opener https://t.co/Y8GyA3G8Xc
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) March 5, 2019
But the experienced campaigner is currently out of the country due to family reason, and will probably will miss a few matches early in the tournament.
“Mashrafe was supposed to play all the games after Sunday. But unfortunately, he is not in the country at the moment. Probably he will miss the first three games. Mosaddek Hossain will lead the side. We will request Mashrafe to take the captaincy role once he returns,” said Mahmud.
The coach believes it will be an important tournament for Sabbir Rahman.
The middle-order batsman just returned to the national fold, after his ban term, in the tour of New Zealand and scored a century in the third and final ODI against the Kiwis.
Now he needs to continue his good touch, bearing in mind the World Cup ahead, informed Mahmud.
“I believe he is a great cricketer. He is a match-winner. Sabbir’s return to form is a good sign for Bangladesh cricket. This league will be important for him to build up his confidence. If we can play in the Super League, then he might get the chance of playing in 16 matches. If he can score plenty of runs and hits three-four hundreds then it could be a confidence-booster for him prior to the World Cup,” concluded Mahmud.
