BPL primer: Chittagong Kings back, Comilla Victorians out, Rangpur Riders flying high

Fortune Barishal have another strong line-up for 2025. Tamim Iqbal leads a team that is nicknamed the "national team", for the number of Bangladesh stars in it. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah continue to be their middle-order mainstays, while Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy have joined this year.

Ariful Islam is their exciting new batting talent. Rishad Hossain and Ebadot Hossain add to their bowling strength. Their overseas firepower includes Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nabi, Kyle Mayers, Dawid Malan and Pathum Nissanka.

Rangpur Riders, meanwhile, are cock-a-hoop after their successful Global Super League (GSL) campaign. Alongside the likes of Nurul Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Mahedi Hasan, they have enlisted Alex Hales and Saurabh Netravalkar. They also have Pakistani recruits Khushdil Shah and Iftikhar Ahmed, and Afghanistan's AM Ghazanfar and Sediqullah Atal.

Durbar Rajshahi and Dhaka Capitals are new franchises while Chittagong Kings are making a comeback. All three have acquired exciting cricketers from home and abroad. Khulna Tigers and Sylhet Strikers are banking heavily on local talent.

The record four-time BPL champions are missing this year because of their political connections. AHM Mustafa Kamal, the former ICC and BCB president who owned Comilla Victorians was also Bangladesh's finance minister during the Awami League reign. That government has been overthrown and Kamal has been missing from the country since its fall on August 5.

Dhaka and Barishal have signed three players each from last season's Comilla squad. Dhaka took Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman and Johnson Charles, while Barishal now have Towhid Hridoy, Tanvir Islam and Rishad Hossain.

Chittagong have taken Moeen Ali and Aliss Al Islam while Khulna have signed up Mahidul Islam and Imrul Kayes. Jaker Ali, who got into the Bangladesh team last season after his exploits for Comilla, is going to be playing for his native Sylhet this time.

The good news for the BPL this year is that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has shifted from its usual February window to April and May. That frees up the BPL franchises to sign Pakistani cricketers for possibly the entire season. Before the tournament begins, they have signed up 20 Pakistani cricketers including Shaheen Afridi. The BPL however will continue to clash with the ILT20 (January 11 to February 9), SA20 (January 9 to February 8) and Big Bash League (December 15 to January 27).

The BCB holding the National Cricket League (NCL) T20s just before the BPL has been a blessing for plenty of cricketers and franchises. The tournament was a success in itself as local players finally found a competitive ground to showcase their many skills. The franchises, as a result of the tournament, find most of their players in form - or at least with match time under their belts - going into the BPL.

Thanks to the NCL T20s, the franchises were also able to identify and pick up young talent: five Under-19 cricketers including captain Azizul Hakim and pacer Iqbal Hossain Emon were signed. They were part of Bangladesh's Under-19 Asia Cup winning squad recently and put up eye-catching performances at the NCL T20s.

At the other end of the age scale is the uncertainty surrounding the participation of the veterans, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza. Shakib - also formerly aligned with the Awami League government - couldn't play his farewell Test in Bangladesh in October after students protested his return. Mashrafe has also not made a public appearance since that day, as he, like Shakib, was a member of parliament with the Awami League. Mashrafe has more substantial political connections, so it remains to be seen if he will turn out for Sylhet Strikers. Shakib is part of the Chittagong Kings squad.

Tamim meanwhile continues to lead the Barishal franchise, having led them to their maiden BPL triumph last season. He will have Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur in his team. Tamim credited Mushfiqur for his contributions as a fielding captain last season. Mahmudullah retired from T20Is earlier this year, but is in a rich vein of form in ODIs.