D3 Trophy Auction: Tanjid Tops at 2 Crore Points, Mehedi-Shanto at 1.5 Crore, Which Teams Soumya-Rishad Joined

The player auction for the D3 Trophy, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) new domestic T20 league, has presented an entirely new picture of the domestic cricket market. In this auction, young opening batter Tanjid Hasan Tamim emerged as the most expensive player with 2 crore points, while national team veterans received lower prices based on availability rather than performance. From a pool of around 281 domestic cricketers, 275 players were auctioned and 6 icon players were pre-assigned to franchises. The six-team competition will begin with the T20 format next December, which is itself a controversial calendar decision. The most talked-about news of the auction was Tanjid Hasan Tamim, signed by the Fortune franchise for 2 crore points. This was the highest valuation in the auction, reflecting his youth and his potential as an all-format opener. Second was national team top-order batter Nazmul Hossain Shanto, also bought by Fortune for 1.6 crore points. Third was off-spin all-rounder Sheikh Mehedi Hasan, signed by Aces Blu Stars for 1.5 crore points. Thus the auction's highest prices went to young, multi-format batters and to all-rounder scarcity, not to proven T20 specialists. But the biggest story of this auction lies behind the prices. Mustafizur Rahman, among Bangladesh's most experienced T20 bowlers, was bought by Seven Rings Cement for only 70 lakh points. This is even lower than Soumya Sarkar's 75 lakh points, signed by Fortune, even though Mustafizur's T20 record is far superior to Soumya's. Similarly, leg-spinner Rishad Hossain was bought by Fortune for 60 lakh points, among the lowest prices in this auction. In fact, both Rishad and Mustafizur have been granted permission to play in the Big Bash League (BBL), whose calendar clashes with the D3 Trophy's December T20 edition. Rishad cannot play in the T20 edition at all, a fact explicitly stated in the report. In Mustafizur's case too, it is indicated that his price was somewhat lower due to the BBL permission. This auction clearly proves that in this market, a player's availability matters more than his ability. Any player not available for the full T20 season automatically sees his price drop. Franchises are buying such players at a discount, as if investing for future editions, brand value, or an icon role. Paying 60 lakh points for Rishad, when he will not play a single T20 match, is almost like a pure option purchase. Another interesting point emerged in the auction. The report states that Sheikh Mehedi Hasan (the T20 off-spin all-rounder) was bought by Blu Stars for 1.5 crore, while Mehedi Hasan Miraz is named as Walton's icon player. These are two different cricketers. The headline 'Mehedi-Shanto at 1.5 crore' therefore creates a possibility of conflating the two names. Readers are advised not to treat these two players as one. Looking at the teams, Fortune appeared the most active and top-heavy. They bought several big names including Tanjid (2 crore), Shanto (1.6 crore), Soumya (75 lakh) and Rishad (60 lakh). Their total spend on these four alone comes to 4.95 crore points, even before securing Towhid Hridoy as icon. This suggests Fortune has spent most of its budget on batting, and bowling and bench depth may end up weak. However, each franchise's total purse has not been disclosed, so calling any team the 'winner of the auction' would be premature. The six franchises have been allocated icon players one each: Nurul Hasan Sohan with Aces Blu Stars, Towhid Hridoy with Fortune, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat with Acme, Mohammad Naim Sheikh with Citizens Bank, Mushfiqur Rahim with Seven Rings, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz with Walton. This one-icon-per-team formula is clearly designed to maintain competitive balance, preventing any super-franchise from emerging. As for Soumya Sarkar, Fortune bought him for 75 lakh points, while Mustafizur went to Seven Rings. Earlier reports also suggested Walton bid for Soumya but was unsuccessful. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim was placed in the icon category rather than the auction, consistent with a policy of giving older players a protected brand and leadership role. The biggest feature of this auction is that prices were set in 'points', not rupees or taka. The report explicitly states this differs from conventional auctions where 'the team with more money has more scope to pick players.' The points-based system is meant to keep pricing power with the board rather than franchises and to reduce money-based inequality. But a major obstacle is that no conversion of points into any currency, no purse limit, and no broadcast rights valuation is stated anywhere. Therefore, the commercial scale of this league cannot be assessed from this report. Looking at the league calendar, this T20 edition starting in December directly clashes with the Big Bash League. The BCB granted BBL permission to its most high-profile T20 players like Rishad and Mustafizur, even as its own new T20 tournament runs at the same time. This itself is a big signal that established foreign leagues currently rank above its own new domestic league in the board's priorities. If this trend continues, the D3 Trophy's T20 edition risks becoming a second-tier product in its very first year. The auction mentioned five player categories but did not define them. Apart from 275 players auctioned and 6 icons, there are no clear rules. Being a new league, there is no mention of anti-corruption monitoring or a complaint mechanism, which is a matter of concern. Being a board-controlled league, player payments are likely to flow through central contracts rather than franchise payrolls. Also, the franchise names are consumer companies like cement, electronics, and banking, reflecting the South Asian sponsorship-based model. Overall, this auction signals the beginning of a new era in Bangladesh's domestic cricket structure, where youth and multi-format potential are being prioritised and availability has become the market's biggest force. But the December calendar, the clash with the BBL, and the lack of transparency in the points-based system raise questions about the league's future.