Shakib Al Hasan switches teams for DPL Super League phase

His decision to move from Mohammedan Sporting to Legends of Rupganj for the Super League phase of the Dhaka Premier League was to help him prepare for Bangladesh's upcoming games against Sri Lanka, Shakib Al Hasan has explained. Mohammedan, who he was contracted with but didn't play for in the initial stage of the competition, did not qualify for the Super League, but Legends of Rupganj did, and Shakib had to take special permission from the league authorities, and Mohammedan, to make the move.

"I will definitely play [the two Sri Lanka Tests at home]," Shakib said in a press interaction on Wednesday. "I don't think there was a doubt. I think I took the decision [to play in the DPL] in an hour. I thought it would be a good idea to play a few matches ahead of the Sri Lanka series. There has been a bit of a gap. I haven't played cricket for a month. These four matches gives me a chance to get back into the game."

The Super League is contested by the six top clubs at the end of the league stage. Legends of Rupganj, who finished second on the points table behind Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and start their Super League campaign against Prime Bank Cricket Club tomorrow, leapt at the opportunity to have the star allrounder in their ranks. Mohammedan had also released Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz earlier to Dhanmondi Club after the duo returned from South Africa.

Meanwhile, the premier Bangladesh cricketers signed their annual central contracts during a meeting at the BCB office on Tuesday. Cricket Operations Committee chairman Jalal Yunus, team director Khaled Mahmud, and BCB's chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury attended the meeting.

Yunus said later that the players had mentioned their availability for each format over the next 12 months in the contracts. "We discussed cricket among ourselves. We all got together to sign the contracts," he said. "There were 17-18 of us. I think a few didn't show up due to personal reasons.

"They have signed contracts according to their availability in the different formats. I think it's time the board tells the player that we want them in a certain format. He can then inform us if he is available or not. The board should decide the format."