Focus on safety as BPL launch draws near

Despite the latest Covid-19 surge, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has set aside certain health protocols in order to manage the month-long Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), slated to begin from January 21. However, the BCB wanted all the players inside the bio-secure environment of their hotels yesterday but certain realities saw them push back their plans.

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has proven to be more contagious than other variants and the BCB chief physician Debashish Chowdhury issued a word of caution to the franchises, reminding everyone concerned that success depends on awareness. Several franchises have had promotional events and jersey unveilings till now, with the BCB instructing them to keep things in check.

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There have been a few cases in the BPL so far, although the exact number remains classified information. The BPL has a Covid-19 committee and the tournament will be played according to the guidelines set by the committee.

"We are testing each and every participant. And those who will return a negative test and also those who have double vaccine doses, will enter the bubble," Debashish told the media yesterday after the second day of tests and informed that the bio-bubble setup is being replaced by Managed Event Environment (MEE).

He urged the franchises and their officials to maintain protocols during the events.

"All stakeholders, franchise officials and players have an important role to play and we can't succeed without them.

"Of course, we have to be more aware in places where it is crowded. Our stakeholders will have to be more careful if we want to finish the tournament successfully,'' Debashish added while mentioning that the number of cases so far do not put the tournament at risk.

With the beginning of the BPL edging closer, the teams are also finalising their setup. Star-studded Comilla Victorians, handed the captaincy to experienced Imrul Kayes. With Faf du Plessis starring for Comilla, Imrul dictated that the South African was sharing his experience with the local players.

"He's a big star. He shared his experiences from IPL and also how he bats in other tournaments. I also talked to him about our wickets and what the team plan will be. Since he'll be batting with Liton [Das], I shared some info. His experience means we need his help on the field," informed Imrul. 

Meanwhile, Khulna Tigers coach Lance Klusener hopes to get the best out of his local players.

"I don't believe that in Bangladesh, the BPL is won with overseas players. It's won with local players," Klusener opined.

One big local star who has found it hard is Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. The former Bangladesh ODI captain returned to practice yesterday for Dhaka, but once again found his injury aggravating enough and had to stop bowling after a few attempts. As the tournament gears towards its beginning, the franchises and the BCB will be hoping the tournament goes smoothly amidst the pandemic with the best local stars and overseas players available.