Shakib, Andre Russell the keys for Khulna
In a team sport like cricket, it's never good to shine the spotlight on just one man. But Shakib Al Hasan is not only the icon player of Khulna Royal Bengals, he could be the only man who matters in the end

The BPL will be another shot at captaining international cricketers for Shakib Al Hasan • AFP
Big Picture
In a team sport like cricket, it's never good to shine the spotlight on just one man. But Shakib Al Hasan is not only the icon player of Khulna Royal Bengals, he could be the only man who matters in the end. Shakib was the lone cricketer at the team table when they bid for players in the auction, and it is clear that the Orion Group is quite happy to let the No. 1 allrounder in the world do his thing.Star Attraction
It isn't a big secret that one of the main reasons for the Orion Group bidding for the Khulna franchise was Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh's best cricketer has that appeal, enough to even draw in a conglomerate to cricket in this manner. The BPL will be another shot at captaining international cricketers for Shakib, the weight of this job slightly more pronounced than his stint as Victoria captain in the Dhaka Premier League.Top player
Shakib will be backed up by Andre Russell, a middle-order hitter and medium-pacer who picks up wickets regularly. In the West Indies side, he is an understudy to the captain, Darren Sammy, but many believe that he is the real deal as far as allrounders go in the Caribbean.Under the radar
Among Khulna's unknown entities, only one player can boast of being a Twenty20 specialist, or at least a big-six hitter. Nazmul Hossain Milon has been nicknamed Chhokka Milon (Sixer Milon) for several years, but has never quite delivered on the big stage. Apart from the odd six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong, Milon is a talent unfulfilled. He can turn a game with his big straight blows, the most famous instance being his knock of 140-odd in the National Cricket League's one-day competition in 2007. He struck nine sixes that day, but the mojo has somewhat been lost since. He is still rated highly, though, as his price of $35,000 - this, after being placed in Grade C - suggests.Mohammad Isam is senior sports reporter at the Daily Star in Dhaka