ICL launches Dhaka Warriors

17 Sep 2008 03:45:00 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The Indian Cricket League Tuesday unveiled its new team for the season -- Dhaka Warriors comprising 13 Bangladeshi cricketers, including the six who announced their retirement to join the rebel group

Dhaka Warriors, coached by former India cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu, will compete in ICL's Twenty20 league starting Oct 10.

Led by former captain Habibul Bashar, Shahriar Nafees, Alok Kapali and Dhiman Ghosh were present at the launch of the team at a five-star city hotel. Aftab Ahmed and Farhad Raza could not attend the function

Bashar, who at 36 is at the end of his career, said: “Everybody back in our country is branding us a traitor. But this is not right. They should take it in the right spirit.”

The former captain went on to add that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is trying to convince all the cricketers to change their decision.

Today they had called us for a meeting, but we couldn't attend it. We will meet them once we go back in two days,” he added.

It is being rumoured that the six cricketers were roped in for a whopping $200,000 for a period of three years. But Nafees said that money was not the main reason behind their decision.

“As a cricketer we should have the right to choose our own way. I never played cricket for money. Now when I am a professional cricketer I am getting paid for it,” he said.

The other seven cricketers are Manjural Islam, Mabud Chowdhury, Mohammad Rafique, Mahubul Karim, Mohammed Sharif, Mosharraf Hossain and Tapash Baisya.

The league will be played at four venues in Panchkula, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.