Comilla Victorians unwilling to let star player Imrul Kayes go

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2017, is still a few months away but the build up has already started. The franchises have started to regroup their teams for the biggest Twenty20 tournament of the country. BPL Governing Council is considering the escalation of opener Imrul Kayes as an icon cricketer in the fifth edition of the tournament.

The left-handed batsman has represented the Comilla Victorians in the previous two editions. However, the franchise owner is adamant and wish to hold on to Imrul Kayes for the next edition. As per the BPL rules, a single franchise cannot retain two icon cricketers. Victorians have already signed up one icon in Tamim Iqbal, therefore they have to leave Kayes if in case BPL Governing Council nominates him as an icon.

It is unfair says team MD

Managing Director of Comilla Victorians Nafisa Kamal said, “Imrul is our cricketer. He has been in the team for last two seasons, 2015 and 2016. He is in our retention. So far we haven’t received any official information that Imrul has been selected as an icon.”

“I feel it just not fair to select one of our cricketers as an icon without informing us. I hope board will consider us in this matter,” Kamal said.

Imrul’s Career

Kayes has been in and out of the national team since making his debut in 2008 against New Zealand in an ODI match. He has played 67 ODIs and 28 Tests and has scored 1900 and 1466 runs respectively. The left-hander has also represented the team in 12 T20 matches scoring only 103 runs at an average less than 10. Imrul was a part of the Bangladeshi team led by the skipper Mashrafe Mortaza which reached the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England and Wales.

Despite the busy schedules, Comilla Victorians have managed to recruit some notable foreign performers like Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan, Colin Munro of New Zealand, Angelo Mathews from Sri Lanka and Hasan Ali of Pakistan.