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Bashundhara skip CCL
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Three office teams are in the fray for the last slot of the 12-team Corporate Cricket League as last year’s runners-up Bashundhara did not enrol their name on the last day of registration on Saturday.
Already 11 teams have confirmed their participation in the league. Ten participants of last year’s edition ARAF Apparels, Biman Bangladesh, GrameenPhone, Partex Group, Gazi Tank, CityCell, AKTEL, Ispahani Limited, ACME Laboratories and BEXIMCO confirmed their participation along with the new inclusion Robin Tex.
Sinha Group and Lotus-Kamal group are among the three teams vying to grab the final spot.
The league committee will select the last team today.
The chairman of the CCL committee informed another company revealed their interest to take part in the tournament.
Last year’s runners-up side Bashundhara Group are not taking part in this tournament.
Former national captain Akram Khan, who has a contract with Bashundhara Group, said the authority did not inform them why they are not participating in the tournament.
Akram was also not sure of getting his salary this year as Bashundhara had made the deal with him for the corporate cricket league only.
It is speculated that Bashundhara have refrained from taking part in the tournament as they did not like the new format.
However, the CCL committee chairman Khondoker Jamiluddin said it was not true.
“They even did not voice any protest against the new format. As far as I know, the owners of the company are not interested. We waited for them till Saturday but they did not send their entry.
“I believe losing the last year’s runners-up team will not lessen the attraction of the tournament as the other business houses will assemble strong teams,” added Jamil.
The chairman also informed they will pick the final team considering which house will give the players better benefits.
A source said Sinha Group is hot-favourite for last spot. However, Jamil hinted it could be an 11-team tournament if somehow no side register their name.
Two teams, who participated in last year’s meet, are absent from this year’s edition.
One is the Bashundhara Group and the other is the BADC team, who have been barred from taking part this time as they had fielded an inferior squad last year.
However, the CCL committee chief informed the BADC were also not interested to play this year.
source: New Age