The second edition of the National Cricket League T20 begins today at two grounds in Rajshahi and Bogura, respectively.聽
Rajshahi will take on Dhaka Metro at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, while defending champions Rangpur will face Sylhet in Bogura to kick off the tournament.
T Sports will live telecast all the matches.聽
The trophy unveiling ceremony took place in Bogura on Saturday with only four of the eight team captains present.
Sylhet captain Zakir Hasan, Dhaka Metropolis captain Mahidul Islam Ankon, Barishal鈥檚 Salman Hossain Emon, and Rangpur skipper Akbar Ali attended the event.聽
Dhaka, Khulna, Chattogram and Rajshahi captains skipped the event as they won鈥檛 have matches during the opening two days in Bogura.
The tournament, which was revived by the Bangladesh Cricket Board last year, provided exposure to the local cricketers in the short format that saw many youngsters rise.聽
Veteran cricketers Mahmudullah will play for Dhaka Metro, Mushfiqur Rahim, who played for Rajshahi last edition, will feature for Sylhet, as the captain of the team Zakir Hasan expressed joy to have him.
鈥榃e want to be champions. We had a good preparation prior to this tournament. Mushfiq bhai has joined the team. So we are hoping for a good result,鈥� said Zakir during the trophy unveiling ceremony on Saturday.
Defending Champions Rangpur division captain Akbar Ali said they will be eager to defend the title, 鈥楨vey team is well balanced. Hopefully, it will be a good tournament. We will try to defend the title, with due respect to every team. I think it will be quite challenging.鈥�
Among the notable names, former national team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto will feature for Rajshahi, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Soumya Sarkar will represent Khulna.
Pacer Nahid Rana and experienced left-arm spinner Taijul Islam鈥攚ho were recently picked by Durban鈥檚 Supergiants in SA20鈥攚ill bolster the bowling attack of Rajshahi.聽
The players who are currently in the UAE to for the Asia Cup have been on the standby lists of their respective divisions.聽
Rajshahi and Bogura will host the tournament simultaneously until September 19; following that, the tournament will shift to Sylhet.聽
The playoffs and final will also take place at the Sylhet Cricket Stadium.
