No respite in sight for sweltering DPL players

Imagine yourself, if you may, attending a Dhaka Premier League game at Mirpur, Fatullah or the BKSP at 10:00am. The sweltering heat shows no respite even to those sitting in the stands, but for the players it has become an arduous task. There has been no rain to speak of around Dhaka, with temperatures rising as the day progresses.

On Sunday, Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim were at the crease for Prime Bank against Agrani Bank in chase of 274. The pair put on 111 runs for the fourth wicket with Nasir eventually taking his side to victory with a ton while Mushfiqur struck a fifty before falling in the 39th over.

The pair, batting under sweltering temperatures, were often seen splashing water on their face and head.

That has been the image of the ongoing DPL, being held in March-April and the heat is set to continue according to the forecast.

"The extreme heat is making life very difficult for everyone so you can imagine how difficult it is for the cricketers.  Pace bowlers are struggling the most. It's tough for them to bowl more than three overs on the trot, which hampers the game plan," one of the players said.

However, the clubs wanted this schedule since national team stars would be available. It is a double-edged sword, which the BCB president felt they could not do much about.

"It's definitely (hot). In Kolkata, schools and colleges have been closed since yesterday. But the matches are on. The games did not stop. This heat is completely unexpected. We have never seen this before. It will definitely be on our minds. But I don't think there is much that can be done about it," Nazmul Hossain Papon told the media after a food distribution programme for the less fortunate.

"Nobody wants to play without national cricketers. It is very difficult to find the time. Eventually, we have to accept that the Premier League will have to be played without national-team players. The schedules can't be moved if the clubs don't want to play without the national players."

The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) discussed pushing back the dates, so as to escape the heat wave for the Super League phase.

The CCDM chairman informed that the original schedule prescribed was to begin matches in February instead of the actual start date of March 15. "If that was done, the tournament would have ended by now."

CCDM said they would try to talk about scheduling again.

"We always ask clubs why we need national players? We can keep our schedule and hold the tournament. But it's difficult if the clubs don't agree. Next season we will try to change things since it's impossible to play like this," he said.

As the DPL takes a hiatus for the Eid vacations, Gazi Group became the sixth side to reach the Super League.  They will have a short respite, but players and clubs will need to adapt in some way when the tournament returns.