Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out of the upcoming 12th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
While media reports have confirmed his exit, the Chatgram Royals have not issued an official statement despite the player having received a no-holds-barred certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Ahead of the tournament, Pakistan’s emerging talents Ihsanullah, all-rounder Jahandad Khan and middle-order batsman Haider Ali caught the spotlight in the PPL 2025-26 player auction held on November 30.
Fast bowler Ihsanullah, who has represented Pakistan in one ODI and four T20Is, attracted the highest bid, joining Nogali Express for USD 28,000 in the category C foreign players category.
The right-arm pacer was earlier signed by Rangpur Riders but did not feature in any match.
Haider Ali, with 37 international appearances, was bought by the same owner for US$20,000. He has previous PPL experience, playing 13 matches and scoring 213 runs at an average of 26.62, with a top score of 48.
Jahandad Khan, who made his T20I debut against Australia last November and played eight T20Is for Pakistan, was picked up by Darbar Rajshahi for USD 20,000 in the same category.
The trio will join five other Pakistani players who were signed directly ahead of the auction: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafe and Sahibzada Farhan.
Usman Khan was signed by Dhaka Capitals while Saim Ayub and Mohammad Amir were confirmed by Sylhet Titans. Rangpur Raiders signed young wicketkeeper-batsman Khawaja Nafey and Rajshahi Warriors brought in emerging top-order batsman Farhan.
This season, five teams will participate in the competition, down from seven teams last year. Dhaka Capitals and Rangpur Raiders will return from the 2024-25 season, while Chattogram, Rajshahi and Sylhet have undergone ownership changes.
As a result, Chittagong Kings, Durbar Rajshahi and Sylhet Strikers left the league, giving way to the renamed Chattogram Royals, Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans.
Defending champions Fortune Parrishall and Khulna Tigers will not feature in this edition.
The match between Sylhet Titans and Rajshahi Warriors is scheduled to begin on December 26 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.