Hanuma Vihari, Abhimanyu Easwaran to play in Dhaka Premier League

The 50-over tournament in Bangladesh will also feature Chirag Jani, Parvez Rasool, Baba Aparajith and Ashok Menaria among the Indians.

FILE PHOTO: Hanuma Vihari will be available for Dhaka Premier League from March 21.

Six Indian cricketers, including Hanuma Vihari and Abhimanyu Easwaran, will be plying their trade at the Dhaka Premier League 2022 starting on Tuesday.

The 50-over tournament in Bangladesh will be running parallel to the Indian Premier League (IPL) [from March 26] till April 28. And it will provide game time to players who couldn't board the IPL bus. Vihari, the current No 3 batter for India in Tests, will be back for Abahani Limited while Abhimanyu returns to Prime Bank. Both the players have been part of the tournament in the past. They couldn't continue in the interim as overseas participation was not allowed in the last two years.

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Saurashtra all-rounder Chirag Jani, who represented Brothers Union a few years ago, landed a deal with Legends of Rupganj. Tamil Nadu all-rounder Baba Aparajith will represent Rupganj Tigers. Rajasthan's Ashok Menaria will be seen in Khelaghar jersey, while Jammu and Kashmir’s Parvez Rasool will join Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club. Vihari, who was part of India's 2-0 Test series win against Sri Lanka on Monday, will be available from March 21. "I have been talking to Vihari since the Sydney Test in India's tour of Australia in 2020-21. It is good news for us. Our coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon and others also wanted Vihari. Afghanistan's Najibullah Zadran will be Vihari's replacement till the Indian is available,"Azizur Rahim, Joint Secretary, Abahani Cricket, told  Sportstar  on Monday.

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The clubs in Bangladesh usually scout the players through agents based in different locations in India. "At times, we also try to reach out to the player directly. We have been in touch with Vihari for a long time, so there was a relationship that was built over time," he said. The remuneration at Dhaka Premier League for overseas players varies but Indian cricketers land fat pay cheques. "A good Indian player usually earns from 2,500 to 5,000 USD, since they are very good in these conditions," added Rahim. When 5,000 USD is converted to INR, it amounts to Rs 3,82,000 (approx) per match. The accommodation and travel logistics are similar to any other professional tournament, taken care of by the respective clubs.