Mohammad Naim left the room smiling on Sunday, after Chittagong Royals dipped beyond BDT 1 crore – roughly USD 88,000 – to secure last season’s leading run-scorer. It was the only seven-figure bid of the afternoon and set the tone for a surprisingly lively first Bangladesh Premier League auction since 2012.
Towhid Hridoy followed for USD 73,600, and Litton Das fetched USD 56,000, both snapped up by Rangpur Riders inside the first hour. The seasoned pair Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, sitting in category B, initially received no takers. A short pause, a request from BCB director and Rangpur chief executive Ishtiaque Sadeque, and the hammer was raised once more. Rangpur quietly picked up Mahmudullah, while Rajshahi Warriors took Mushfiqur, each at the base price of BDT 35 lakh (about USD 28,000).
Overseas interest never completely caught fire, yet Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka commanded USD 55,000 from Dhaka Capitals. Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella slipped through at their USD 35,000 base price to Chittagong Royals and Sylhet Titans respectively.
One of the day’s louder murmurs greeted uncapped batter Habibur Rahman Sohan. Fresh from a useful Asia Cup Rising Stars campaign with Bangladesh A, he went to Noakhali Express for USD 40,000 – a fair chunk for a player without a full international cap.
A handful of current internationals – Nurul Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz – sat at the tables, clipboard in hand, advising owners and quietly enjoying the chaos that only an open auction can bring. Draft systems are tidier, but this format had drama and the odd awkward silence, exactly what organisers seemed to want.
Six sides – Dhaka Capitals, Rangpur Riders, Rajshahi Warriors, Noakhali Express, Sylhet Titans and Chittagong Royals – will contest the tournament, pencilled in to start on 26 December. Schedules are still provisional, though officials insist they will wrap up logistics “within a week”.
All told, the day belonged to Naim. His 511 runs at 143.94 last season had already pushed him to the front of every scout’s notes. Still, crossing the one-crore line is a statement. Whether that price will weigh on him once the first ball is bowled is the next story the BPL is waiting to tell.
