Arijit Singh set to perform at the opening ceremony of BPL-5

The schedule for the fifth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is out. The 8-team tournament is set to begin on November 2 this year. A total of 60 matches will be played this year with defending champions Dhaka Dynamites set to play the first game of the season at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka.

Opening ceremony to take place this year

The tournament kicked off right after the conclusion of the home series against England last year and because of the tight schedule, the BPL Governing Council could not get an opening ceremony in prior to the start of the season. However, this year, the authorities have roped in popular Bollywood singer Arijit Singh to perform in the inaugural ceremony of this season. The ceremony will take place on October 31, 2 days prior to the start of the season. The 30-year old will enjoy performing live in front of a cricket frenzy nation who has a deep interest in Bollywood.

The tournament has become a permanent fixture of the domestic season of Bangladesh ever since its inception in 2012. This year, an additional franchise has been included which makes it an 8-team event. Left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been nominated as the latest icon player for the forthcoming season. Each franchise can now play a maximum of 5 foreign players in their playing XI.

BPL has contributed to Bangladesh cricket immensely

Bangladesh national team’s cricketers will play in the tournament after toiling hard in the international circuit. They host Australia in August for 2 Tests and then travel overseas to play a full series against South Africa. The last game, a T20I, will take place on October 29. The will just get 3 days to recuperate which includes their travel back to Bangladesh from South Africa.

The BPL is a great platform which is helping the next generation of Bangladesh players to learn quickly. The performances of Bangladesh cricket has improved a lot in the last couple of years and BPL must be given a lot of credit for that.