With fresh foreign recruits boosting all the teams, the second phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to be even more competitive. The country’s top football league resumes today after a nearly five-week break.
At three different venues, Chittagong Abahani will face Bangladesh Police in Munshiganj, Mohammedan Sporting Club will face Fortis Football Club in Mymensingh, and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will play against Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra in Gopalganj.
During the mid-term transfer window from February 25 to March 23, all 10 clubs signed new foreign players. Notably, the mid-to lower-table clubs were much more active in the transfer market than the title contenders: Bashundhara Kings, Mohammedan Sporting Club, and Abahani.
Out of the 24 new overseas players signed—11 more than last season’s mid-term acquisitions—Brothers, who are at the bottom of the table, have added the most, bringing in six foreign players after releasing all their previous signings. The Gopibag-based team aims to bolster their defense, having conceded 29 goals in the first nine matches of the season, and has also signed naturalized player Eleta Kingsley as a backup forward.
“During the first leg, our forwards did well but the backline could not hold on to the lead, thus we were deprived of many points,” said Brothers manager Amer Khan stated, adding that they are not focused on avoiding relegation.
For the top teams, leaders Kings will include Nigerian forward Mfon Sunday Udoh, who previously played for them in the AFC Cup. Meanwhile, Mohammedan will have Uzbek midfielder Bekhruz Sadilloev as a backup to his fellow countryman Muzaffar Muzzaffarov.
Abahani, on the other hand, has brought in Australian defender Aaron Michael Evans and national captain Jamal Bhuiyan to strengthen their midfield.
“Although it will boil down to ifs and buts, it is possible to catch Kings as the second leg is going to be more competitive than the first, with the inclusion of new players,” Abahani manager Nazrul Islam remarked.
After a lengthy period, Mohammedan had a solid opportunity to surpass the Kings. Still, coach Alfaz Ahmed focused more on improving the team’s performance than clinching the top spot in the 10-team table.
“We haven’t formed a champion team… If we get the favour of luck, we may also finish on the top of the table, but it will exceed our expectation, Alfaz stated.
“The second leg is going to be do-or-die for everyone because all teams except Bashundhara Kings are almost close with points, so no one will spare anyone on the ground,” noted the former national forward.
Sheikh Russel and Bangladesh Police, both mid-table teams, have each signed four overseas players. However, they had to compete with fewer foreign players in the first leg due to injury issues and the unavailability of some registered players despite timely registration.
“We are now stronger with the addition of foreign players, who usually can make a difference in our league matches. We have missed the service of having four foreign players in a match,” stated Sheikh Russel assistant coach Abdul Baten Komol.
Chittagong Abahani and Sheikh Jamal have also signed three and two foreign players, respectively. Chittagong Abahani manager Arman Aziz mentioned that they needed more time to sign quality foreign players before the league began, which necessitated almost a complete overhaul.
“So far, we have a good collection of local players. If the foreign players can shine up as per merit, then we can expect some good results in the second leg,” said the former national midfielder.
Lastly, Fortis and Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society brought in one foreign player to address their shortcomings.
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