Sohan, not Shakib, to skipper Rangpur Riders
Bangladesh Premier League side Rangpur Riders have announced wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan Sohan as their captain, instead of Shakib Al Hasan, for the upcoming season of the tournament.
Meanwhile, defending champions Comilla Victorians named Liton Das as their skipper for the new season.
Liton thus takes the baton from Imrul Kayes, who led Comilla to their fourth BPL glory last season.
"The crown sits where it belongs! Liton Das takes the helm as captain of the Victorians! Buckle up for a T20 storm, Comilla gonna roar. Liton Das lets get Victorians," Comilla Victorians posted via socials on Tuesday.
'Shakib unwilling to handle captaincy pressure'
There were speculations whether Bangladesh's all-format captain Shakib would take over the reins of Rangpur for the 10th edition of the tournament but the CEO of the side Ishtiaque Sadeque revealed that the ace all-rounder refused to take on the added pressure that comes with captaincy which prompted them to stay on with Sohan, who also led the side in the previous edition.
"We had thought about Shakib Al Hasan (on being captain) but he was the one to tell us that he was not willing to take the pressure of captaincy which is why we went with Nurul Hasan Sohan. He has always been our favourite cricketer and is like a brother to us," Ishtiaque told the media on Tuesday.
Ishtiaque added that Shakib would be returning to the country from the UK on January 18, a day before the start of the tournament, following eye treatment after feeling discomfort owing to vision problems that he was suffering from since the World Cup in November of last year.
"According to his [Shakib Al Hasan's] reports in Bangladesh, there was an accumulation of fluid in his eyes. Angiogram reports in London also said the same. He has taken a second opinion today. Hopefully, there won't be anything vastly different. He'll need to live stress-free. He will come back to Dhaka on January 18," Ishtiaque said.
2017 champions Rangpur play their first match on January 20 against Fortune Barishal in Mirpur, Dhaka.