The Bangladesh Premier League auction on Sunday saw senior players Litton Das and Mahmudullah Riyad take centre stage, as franchises made unexpected moves that reshaped the narrative of the day.
Mahmudullah, whose name appeared early in the auction as the third player called, initially went unsold when none of the six franchises responded. Later, Rangpur Riders stepped in to secure the veteran allrounder, a decision that captain Nurul Hasan Sohan said would strengthen the squad’s balance.
“We have our most senior leader Mahmudullah Riyad bhai with us, so I feel the combination will work very well,” Sohan told reporters after the auction. “It gives me a lot of comfort because there is a senior figure among us.”
Sohan, who came through first class and premier league cricket alongside Mahmudullah, described the chance to finally share a BPL dressing room with him as “very exciting”.
“I am very happy and thrilled that I will be able to play with Riyad bhai,” he said. “We started everything in the same period, so being in the same team means a lot.”
Rajshahi Warriors moved for another senior figure, Mushfiqur Rahim, a decision Sohan publicly appreciated. “Mushfiq bhai, Riyad bhai and our other seniors have taken Bangladesh cricket from one stage to another,” he said. “We had thought about this from the Rangpur management side. I thank Rajshahi as well for picking Mushfiq bhai. If we had the chance, we might have taken both.”
The headline financial story, however, involved Litton, who was picked up by Rangpur for 75 lakh taka, a price that Sohan admitted exceeded their expectations. “We did not expect to get Litton for 70 lakh,” he said, rounding the figure as he spoke. “In T20, the top order carries a lot of responsibility. Our top order is heavy and we are happy.”
Chattogram Royals paid the highest fee of the day, 1.10 crore taka, for Naim Sheikh, while Rangpur also secured Towhid Hridoy for 92 lakh. Yet Sohan insisted that Rangpur were not focused on singling out stars. “Whoever the 14 or 15 players are, everyone is equally valuable to me,” he said. “To play as a team, every player should be valued.”
Sohan also emphasised the Riders’ strategy of building a locally strong group. “Every year we depend a lot on overseas players,” he said. “Because they come and go, the team sometimes lacks cohesion. We wanted seven or eight local players on the field who are almost of national team standard. That was our main goal in trying to build the best team possible.”
With Litton’s current form and Mahmudullah’s experience now part of the setup, Sohan believes Rangpur will move forward with renewed confidence. “Litton is playing a style of cricket that can take Rangpur further,” he said. “Getting him at that price felt like a bonus.”
