Shoriful tops D3 auction as franchises battle for national stars

Bangladesh left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam emerged as the most sought-after player at the D3 Trophy auction on Monday, with Citizens Bank securing his services for 2.30 crore points after a fierce bidding contest among the six franchises.

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed was the next-highest acquisition, joining Walton Group for 2.10 crore points, while opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim went to Fortune Group for two crore points as franchises competed to build their squads for the new three-format domestic tournament.

Opener Saif Hassan was signed by Seven Rings Cement for 1.95 crore points, the same amount Blue Star spent on pacer Hasan Mahmud. Wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali Anik joined Citizens Bank for 1.70 crore points, according to the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report.

Fortune also recruited Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for 1.55 crore points, along with all-rounder Soumya Sarkar for 75 lakh and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for 60 lakh points. Walton added wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das, while Seven Rings Cement secured left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and pacer Mustafizur Rahman for 80 lakh and 70 lakh points respectively.

The auction featured 275 listed cricketers, with six franchises competing to assemble their squads under a points-based system. Each team has a maximum budget of 10 crore points.

The figures, however, do not represent the players' actual salaries. Under the auction structure, Category A players have a fixed base salary of Tk 40 lakh, irrespective of the number of points spent to secure them. The other categories have base values of Tk 30 lakh, Tk 20 lakh, Tk 10 lakh and Tk 5 lakh.

The six franchises had already selected one icon player each before the auction. Mehidy Hasan Miraz represents Walton, Towhid Hridoy Fortune, Mosaddek Hossain Acme, Mushfiqur Rahim Seven Rings Cement, Nurul Hasan Sohan Blue Star and Mohammad Naim Citizens Bank.

The D3 Trophy will bring together three formats of domestic cricket in a 42-match competition. The T20 tournament is scheduled to begin on December 15 in Barishal, followed by the four-day competition in January and the one-day tournament in May 2027.

The event is expected to provide a platform for national-team regulars and emerging domestic cricketers to compete across formats under a franchise-based structure.