Durbar Rajshahi Fails to Pay Salaries, Foreign Players Stranded Without Tickets

Despite repeated promises, the Durbar Rajshahi franchise has failed to pay its players. The cheques issued have bounced twice, and even though Rajshahi’s exit from the BPL league stage is confirmed, both local and foreign players are still waiting for their payments. Miguel Cummins will leave Dhaka on the 5th of February, but Rajshahi has yet to arrange tickets for Mark Deial and Aftab Alam.

As of the afternoon, none of the five foreign players had received their outstanding payments or flight tickets. They are effectively forced to stay at the team hotel. Meanwhile, the Rajshahi franchise issued a statement saying that the foreign players and coaching staff will leave Dhaka tonight.

Zimbabwean all-rounder Ryan Burl, who played 11 matches for Rajshahi, will leave for Harare at 3:00 AM tonight on Ethiopian Airways. Mohammad Haris, who is headed to Lahore, will depart at 1:40 PM on Thai Airways, along with the team’s head coach, former Pakistani batter Ijaz Ahmed. West Indies’ Miguel Cummins will depart on February 5th.

Among the foreign players, Afghanistan's Aftab Alam and West Indies’ Mark Deial have yet to receive their flight tickets. While some foreign players have received 25% of their contracted fees, others have not been paid a single penny. The players have not received their daily allowances for the past 11 days.

Yesterday, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, the advisor to the Interim Government’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, visited the BCB and stated that after speaking with Rajshahi’s owner, the next step would be legal action if the payments are not made. He met with Rajshahi's owner, Shafik Rahman, for a discussion while attending a match at Mirpur.