Picture Credit: X
With the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 underway from January 19th, the Rangpur Riders have been handed a blow soon after their first match in the tournament. Bangladesh skipper and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is plying his trade for the Rider will miss the first leg due to eye issue.
Also WATCH: Shakib Al Hasan slaps fan as all-rounder wins seat in General Election
The 36-year-old reportedly is leaving for Singapore on Sunday, January 21st for an eye check-up. A top official of the Rangpur Riders confirmed this development, early on Sunday, adding that they are expecting him to be available for the Sylhet leg of BPL 2024. “He (Shakib) is leaving for Sylhet today and we are expecting him to be available during the Sylhet phase if he recovers from his eye problem,” Rangpur Riders’ CEO Ishtiaque Sadeque told Cricbuzz.
“Let’s hope for the best but if that is not the case we have to play with our available sources,” he further informed.
Moreover, the Rangpur Riders captain Nurul Hasan also admitted of the Bangladesh all-rounder struggling with eye problem after their five-wicket defeat against Tamim Iqbal’s Fortune Barishal. “He has been struggling with eyesight problem for sometime now. I think he has been in touch with the doctors regularly. The doctors only could say in what stage the problem is now,” he added.
It is to be noted that Shakib first spoke about the eye issue after Bangladesh’s dismal performance at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. He travelled to London for a check up before landing in Dhaka, just a day ahead of the BPL 2024 start.