Russell was plying his trade for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Dubai’s ILT20 till Sunday night before he hopped on a flight and joined the Rangpur Riders in Dhaka mere hours before their crucial eliminator match against Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) yesterday.

Defending champions Fortune Barishal sealed a final berth with a nine-wicket win against Chittagong Kings in the first qualifier.

Rangpur Riders assistant coach Mohammad Ashraful blamed his team’s unexpected exit from the Bangladesh Premier League T20 on the absence of Pakistan all-rounder Khushdil Shah and the inconsistency dished out by local talents. 

The loss in the first eliminator sees Rangpur exit the tournament on the back of five straight defeats.

Opener Parvez Hossain Emon scored a 41-ball 75 as Chittagong Kings beat Fortune Barishal by 24 runs in the last match of the league stage of Bangladesh Premier League in Mirpur on Saturday, setting up the first qualifier against the same team.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refuted several media reports claiming that a travel ban had beenon Durbar Rajshahi batter Anamul Haque Bijoy due to anti-corruption issues.

How many people are watching the ongoing 11th Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is a difficult question to answer.

Bangladesh star Mehedi Hasan Miraz said that a "different" circumstance is prevailing in this BPL and hoped that BCB will be able to manage things well and find a solution so as not to bring disrepute to the country’s cricket.

The players’ non-payment issue in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is refusing to die down as on Friday Chittagong Kings admitted that they are yet to pay anything to Bangladesh cricketer Parvez Hossain Emon due to “personal reasons”.

Non-payment of players -- a very common problem throughout the history of the tournament -- doubled up on the intense rumours of spot-fixing, prevalent throughout the ongoing edition of the BPL, and combined with the widespread scrutiny behind the disregard for having standard-sized boundaries.

Chittagong Kings spinner Aliss Al Islam has been called for suspect action, BCB sources confirmed.

The Sri Lankan on Tuesday spoke to The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan over phone, sharing his experience regarding with the franchise and some other issues as well.

Wide yorkers are one of the key weapons in the arsenal for bowlers trying to stem the flow of runs in T20s. Dhaka Capitals had a set Liton Das at the crease and skipper Thisara Perera has the knack for incredible cameo knocks. Both plundered runs with some scintillating bat-speed during their game against Sylhet Strikers in Chattogram on Monday.

Dawid Malan had been watching this BPL from the sidelines and before today, he had appeared in just one game. The chase of Chittagong Kings’ 121 for eight did not appear to be a steep one at first, but after Tamim Iqbal was run out following a confusion with the Englishman, the pressure was on Malan.

Rishad’s Barishal teammate Dawid Malan, appearing in his fifth BPL, knows a thing or two about being benched, as the former England batter has played in only one game this edition. During a press conference yesterday, Malan gave his views on playing in foreign leagues and on Rishad.

After a training session at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram yesterday, most of the Dhaka Capitals cricketers had exited the ground, but not Sabbir Rahman. Sabbir, who remains a fan favourite despite not playing for Bangladesh since 2022, stayed back to work on his power hitting – something he has shown glimpses of in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Bangladeshi umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat is the only ICC elite panel umpire in the country and this time he would be conducting quite a few matches in the BPL, unlike in previous years.

Chittagong Kings batter Graham Clark hit his second T20 century which equalled the most number of tons scored in a single edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. 

Current Fortune Barishal skipper Tamim Iqbal surpassed the franchise’s former star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in half-centuries scored in the Bangladesh Premier League.  

Tamim Iqbal and Dawid Malan put up a century stand as Barishal won against Dhaka Capitals by eight wickets at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.