Piyush Chawla becomes first Indian cricketer in BPL auction

Former Indian cricketer Piyush Chawlahas created history by becoming the first Indian cricketer to be included in the auction for the Bangladesh Premier League.

The BPL has never featured an Indian cricketer in their auction pool before. Chawla’s entry into the mix has opened new possibilities for the BPL. Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not allowed Indian cricketers to take part in any franchise leagues outside of India up until now. The Indian administrative board has never issued clearance for cricketers under the BCCI’s contract to feature for franchises across the world.

Chawla, despite already having retired from Indian cricket, could be the spark for changes to be made. Chawla is currently a part of Ajman Titans in the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, which is being played in the United Arab Emirates. He has picked up seven wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 12.00.

Speaking of the marquee tournament, there will be five teams which will be taking part instead of seven fas compared to the previous edition, with Noakhali Express being added as the new franchise. The Express will join Rajshahi Warriors, Rangpur Riders, Sylhet Titans, Dhaka Capitals and Chattogram Royals.

The players’ auction will be returning to the BPL after a hiatus of 12 years. The Governing Council of the tournament has confirmed November 30 as the fresh auction date. The first two iterations of the tournament (2012 and 2013) had auctions. However, the nine editions to follow adopted a players’ draft format.

As for the auction system, both local and overseas players will be categorised into separate categories with structured base amounts and increments in bidding. For overseas players, as for the likes of Chawla, the highest category will start at USD 35,000. There will be increments of USD 5,000.