Shakib becomes highest paid Bangladeshi in BPL

Shakib al Hasan, who will represent Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2016, is set to become the most expensive player of the season. The all-rounder will receive Tk 55 lakh and is placed in A-plus category with six other players.

Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza and Mahmudullah will be paid Tk 50 Lakh while Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar, who are also part of A-plus category, will get Tk 40 Lakhs.

Ismail Haider Mallick, the BPL governing council's secretary, confirmed that the players wrote to the Bangladesh Cricket Board to raise their cap to match the international players.

"These senior players had a prayer to us, to match what foreign players will get in this tournament," Mallick said on Wednesday (September 28). "In other franchise-based domestic tournaments, foreign players get the same amount as local players.

"They also asked to choose their own team, which they said would enable to earn a little more money than the cap given by the BPL governing council. The board however won't take responsibility of the extra payment that they get from the franchise. They will only be responsible for the amount that we have put as cap."

Mallick acknowledged that the higher price for Shakib is because he represents various teams in Twenty20 leagues around the world. "The pricing is merit-based. Shakib is the only Bangladeshi player who plays in the franchise-based T20 leagues around the world," he pointed out. "His pricing has to be higher than the others. We have decided after discussing with the selectors. Shakib and Soumya Sarkar won't get the same rate. Shakib and the rest of the senior players have little difference between them in terms of the money."