রাজশাহী ১০ ফেব্রুয়ারির মধ্যে বকেয়া পরিশোধ করবে: বাংলাদেশ ক্রীড়া মন্ত্রণালয়

Durbar Rajshahi owner Shafiqur Rahman has vowed to clear the team’s dues to players by February 10, Bangladesh’s sports ministry said on Monday. Asif Mahmud, the government advisor on matters of sports and youth affairs, confirmed that he spoke to Rahman, warning him of the consequences if the team’s dues were not cleared. The Bangladesh government also instituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the non-payment of players, as a ESPNcricinfo report.

“He [Rahman] accepted his fault and promised to clear all dues of the team in three installments of 25 percent each on February 3, 7 and 10,” a press release by sports ministry said. “He also assured that alongside the players, everyone involved with the team would also receive their payments in each installment. Otherwise, whatever necessary legal actions will be taken against him,” it added.

After the franchise missed payment deadlines, the team’s overseas players, including Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe) and Miguel Cummins (West Indies), were left stranded in the team hotel in Dhaka. While some of them received 25%, many haven’t been paid at all. Rajshahi team bus driver also reportedly said that he held onto cricketers’ kit bags as ransom as he too hadn’t been paid.

After the matter escalated, many players refused to practice and other foreign players made themselves unavailable for the group-stage matches. Even as BCB said that they would intervene, reports alleged that overseas cricketers of Durbar Rajshahi are scheduled to leave Bangladesh without their salaries.
“By February 7, players should have received 75 percent of their payment while the rest should be cleared by March 8. Unfortunately that is not the case with Rajshahi which is hugely embarrassing,” the BCB official said, as per reports.
Durbar Rajshahi finished sixth in the ongoing BPL season, completing their campaign on January 27.