Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal will leave Dhaka early Friday morning for Nepal to participate in the Everest Premier League.
The fourth edition of the T20 tournament is set to begin Saturday.
Given that direct flight between Dhaka and Kathmandu is suspended due to Covid-19, Tamim will reach the Nepal capital via Doha.
Tamim’s campaign with his team Bhairahawa Gladiators will begin Sunday against Pokhara Rhinos.
Tamim is one of the major signings to feature in the tournament this year and the left-handed opener is set to share the Bhairahawa dressing room with Sri Lankan cricketers Upul Tharanga and Dhammika Prasad.
Bangladesh Cricket Board's chief physician Dr. Debashish Chowdhury informed that Tamim’s participation in the tournament will help as part of the cricketer’s recovery process from long-term knee injury.
“The way we had planned, Tamim playing in the Everest Premier League is part of his rehabilitation process. Match time will get us to assess how he is responding. We will set the next course of rehabilitation for Tamim based on the feedback from his experience in this tournament,” said Debashish to the media Thursday.
“Tamim was given an eight-week rehab plan for his knee injury. He has been following that for about a month now despite it being tough and stressful for him,” he added.
The knee injury saw Tamim return home without playing the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July.
The swashbuckling opener later rested himself during the two series at home, against Australia and New Zealand.
Tamim was expected to recover before the T20 World Cup and the national selection panel was clear about naming Tamim in the squad for the mega event.
Tamim however, in a shocking announcement on September 1 said he will not be available for the upcoming world event, set to take place in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 15.
The left-handed batsman cited a lack of preparation due to his knee injury and that he did not want to take the place of openers who have been playing in the format more regularly than him in recent times as reasons for his drastic decision.
The Everest Premier League this season will also feature Pakistan star Shahid Afridi, Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza and Sri Lanka's Dilshan Munaweera and Seekkuge Prasanna among others.