Miraz, Hasan picked in LPL draft

All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and fast bowler Hasan Mahmud were picked up by separate franchises during the Lankan Premier League (LPL) draft.

They will join Shakib Al Hasan, Taskin Ahmed and Litton Das, making it five players from Bangladesh to play the tournament.
Shakib, Taskin and Litton secured their places through direct contracts earlier before the draft.

Miraz was acquired by Galle Gallants, where he will join Litton Das, while fast bowler Hasan Mahmud was picked by Colombo Capitals in the 11th round under the Classic Category for a fee of US$20,000.

The LPL will mark Hasan Mahmud's first experience in an overseas franchise tournament. The right-arm pacer has yet to feature in any franchise league outside Bangladesh. Miraz, however, has previous franchise cricket experience, having played in both the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and experienced pacer Taskin Ahmed will represent Jaffna Kings in the competition.

 Litton will be making his second appearance in the LPL after playing three matches for Galle Titans in 2024, scoring 34 runs.

 The wicketkeeper-batter has also featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL), CPL and Canada's Global T20 League. He was included in Karachi Kings' squad for the PSL but was unable to play because of injury.

Shakib's only previous LPL appearance came in 2023 when he represented Galle Titans, while Taskin made his tournament debut in 2024 for Colombo Strikers.

The five-team tournament is scheduled to begin on July 17 and conclude on August 8.

Bangladesh players are expected to be available for the competition after the national team's tour of Zimbabwe, which ends on July 19. Bangladesh's next international assignment is a Test series in Australia, with the first Test set to begin on August 13. The team is expected to travel to Australia about a week before the opening match.    �"BSS