A financial crisis has emerged for the Durbar Rajshahi franchise in the Bangladesh Premier League, as overseas cricketers and staff members have not yet received their salaries. This situation was confirmed by a senior official from the Bangladesh Cricket Board to Cricbuzz shortly after franchise owner Shafiq Rahman informed the media that return tickets had been arranged for all foreign players to return to their home countries.

Reports indicate that the announcement followed claims that several overseas players, including Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe), and Miguel Cummins (West Indies), were stranded at a hotel in Dhaka. The team management has not responded to any inquiries amid missed payment deadlines. While a few players received 25 per cent of their owed salaries, the majority are still awaiting full payment. Additionally, some local players have departed the team hotel without receiving their complete salaries.

The situation has deteriorated to the point where players have refrained from practising, and foreign players have made themselves unavailable for group-stage matches. Although the BCB has stated that they will intervene, reports suggest that the overseas cricketers of Durbar Rajshahi, who finished sixth in the current BPL season and concluded their campaign on January 27, are likely to leave Bangladesh without their salaries.

"I recently spoke with Ryan Burl and others, and they confirmed that they have not yet received their payments," stated a BCB official. "I am in constant communication with the owner of Rajshahi, who claims he is working to resolve the issue. Just yesterday, Bangladesh's sports adviser (Asif Mahmud) met with him and urged him to settle the outstanding payments promptly, to which he agreed.

"By February 7, players were expected to receive 75 per cent of their payments, with the remainder to be settled by March 8. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for Rajshahi, which is quite embarrassing."

Bus driver locks players' kits as payment crisis strikes BPL

The impact of the situation extends beyond the players to include the staff members as well. On Sunday, the bus driver secured the kit bags of all players within the vehicle, stating that he would only return them once his payment had been settled.

"It is a source of disappointment and embarrassment. Had we received our payments, we would have returned the kit bags to the players. Until now, I have remained silent, but I must express that we are prepared to leave if our payments are not resolved," remarked Mohammad Babul, the bus driver for Rajshahi, during a press conference outside the team hotel.

"The kit bags belonging to both local and international cricketers are still on the bus, but I am unable to return them as a significant portion of our compensation remains unpaid."

On Monday, Shafiq was taken into custody regarding the issue of non-payment, but he assured that all outstanding dues would be settled by February 7.

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