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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has rewarded three of its players for prioritizing national duty over the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Shakib Al Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, and Litton Das have received a total of USD 65,000 from the BCB for choosing to play for Bangladesh instead of participating in the lucrative T20 league in India.
Shakib, who was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for IPL 2023, had to pull out of the tournament as Bangladesh were scheduled to play a series against Ireland during the same time. Litton Das, who was also picked by KKR, joined the franchise after the one-off Test against Ireland but returned home after playing just one match. Taskin, who went unsold at the auction, got an offer from an IPL team as an injury replacement but declined it.
Jalal Yunus, BCB Cricket Operations Chief, said that the board decided to compensate the players partially for their decision. He added that the BCB would not make it a regular practice and would consider it case-by-case for the players' well-being.
"This is just a small gesture on our part. They did not demand any money from us formally, but we felt they should be at least partially compensated, if not fully. We believe playing for the national team should be unconditional. But our board will consider it case-by-case, as players' well-being is also one of our priorities,” Jalal Yunus was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.
Yunus further added, “They did not demand any money from us formally, but we felt they should be at least partially compensated if not fully”.
In 2021, Shakib slammed the BCB for staging international fixtures during IPL, saying that no other board does this as players gain valuable experience while playing in the biggest T20 league. The all-rounder had said that by doing so, the BCB had given less value to their own cricketers. It seems that the all-rounder has made peace with the board to the extent that he missed the IPL and forgo his INR 1.5 Cr salary to be a part of the national team. Mustafizur Rahman was the only Bangladesh player who featured in IPL 2023 for Delhi Capitals but played only two matches.
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