National Cricket League 2014-15 January 24, 2015

Dhaka Division start as favourites again

Rony Talukdar of Dhaka Division was fourth in the run-scorers' list in NCL last season and topped the charts in Dhaka Premier Division League this season © BCB

Dhaka Division


Where they finished last season

Champions

Big Picture

The defending champions will continue to be one of the favourites to claim the title in this season's National Cricket League. They had bounced back in 2013-14 from the horror 2011-12 season when they had finished bottom of the points table. They banked on their strong top order, spin bowling and an all-round performance from their captain Mohammad Sharif.

Rony Talukdar, Abdul Majid and Nazmul Islam were the stars of last season and Sharif took 20 wickets. Their opening day game against Barisal Division will also be Sharif's 100th first-class game. Dhaka Division will also have the services of Bangladesh legspinner Jubair Hossain, who will play his first first-class season despite making his Test debut against Zimbabwe late last year.

Key players

Rony Talukdar was the highest scorer in this season's Dhaka Premier Division League, finishing with 714 runs at an average of 51.

Team changes

The big miss will be Nurul Hasan who has moved to Khulna Division. He made 489 runs at 81.50 for Dhaka Division last season, and is deemed as Bangladesh's next best wicketkeeper after Mushfiqur Rahim.

Below the radar

Taibur Rahman was impressive for Dhaka Premier Division League champions Prime Bank Cricket Club, with 363 runs. He was also effective for Dhaka Division last season, though he is yet to take off as middle-order batsman.

What they say

"I am very happy to be playing my 100th first-class match. I hope to play a 100 more (laughs). But more importantly, I would like to start the season with a win." - Mohammad Sharif

Rajshahi Division

Where they finished last season

Second place

Big Picture

Five-time champions Rajshahi Division flattered to deceive last year but they remain the most consistent and successful first-class team in the country. Their confidence in the longer-format comes from a process set across Rajshahi from where they have scouted methodically for the past decade.

Rajshahi would want the likes of Junaid Siddique, Farhad Hossain and Mizanur Rahman to return among the runs after an ordinary 2013-14 season. Rajshahi started poorly last season and only ended up second after finishing well and threatening Dhaka Division to the title.

The division continues to be the blueprint for first-class teams in Bangladesh, and their consistency is much sought after. A group of senior players has been developed over the years, which is paying rich dividends although they haven't produced enough players off-late for the national team.

Key players

Farhad Reza was their highest scorer last year though he didn't bowl as well. He, however, had a good Dhaka Premier League campaign for Prime Bank, which would be one of the reasons why Rajshahi can be a bigger threat.

Team changes

The absence of Sabbir Rahman could hit Rajshahi hard. He is in Bangladesh's World Cup squad, and over the last few seasons Sabbir had been a consistent performer and a vital cog for Rajshahi's well-oiled machine.

Below the radar

Tawhid Tariq Khan has been picked in the Rajshahi squad, after he was the highest run-scorer in the Dhaka First Division Cricket league, the city's second-tier one-day competition.

What they say

"Of course we want to target the championship this season. We have a lot of the familiar faces in our squad this year as well." - Farhad Hossain

Rangpur Division

Where they finished last season

Third place

Big Picture

It was a surprise that they ended up third last season. But the likes of Tanvir Haider, Naeem Islam and Saymon Ahmed scored at crucial times and enforced their three wins over Dhaka Metropolis, Sylhet Division and Barisal Division.

As one of the smaller divisions in the country, Rangpur hardly get the attention they deserve. There are decent cricket grounds in these northern regions and they have produced several Bangladesh players.

It will be yet another challenging season for the Rangpur players, who usually miss out in the Bangladesh Cricket League's North Zone side because of Rajshahi's dominance in the region.

Key players

Naeem Islam was the second-highest scorer for Rangpur, and remains the batting stronghold for the division. He also had a fruitful time in the Dhaka Premier League, helping the lacklustre Mohammedan Sporting Club to a Super League finish. He was the league's third-highest scorer.

Team changes

Rangpur will be without allrounder Alauddin Babu who has been moved to Chittagong Division. Though Alauddin played only one match last season, he did get 12 wickets in the Dhaka Premier League this season and is handy with the bat.

Below the radar

Ariful Haque proved his worth as a batsman with a hundred in this season's last Abahani-Mohammedan derby, though his team Mohammedan ended up losing that game. But he is a talented allrounder, and his ability to bowl seam would prove necessary for Rangpur.

Khulna Division

Where they finished last season

Fourth place

Big Picture

That Khulna finished a lowly fourth doesn't sit well with their players. They have set a higher standard for themselves as the second most successful first-class team in the country with three NCL titles.

Last season only the veteran Tushar Imran made important runs and ended up as the team's highest scorer with 545 runs at an average of 54.50. One of the difficulties was the coming and going of national players like Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza and Anamul Haque. This season the left-arm spinner Razzak is likely to be available for the entire tournament, which will be a major boost for Khulna's bowling attack.

They will be title contenders like Dhaka Division and Rajshahi Division, and if their national players turn up for the latter stages, it would make them slightly stronger than the other teams.

Key players

Mohammad Mithun's elevation to the Bangladesh team, as well as a decent season for Mohammedan Sporting Club would be a boost for Khulna who didn't get much out of him last season. In the preceding three seasons, Mithun made more than 600 runs consecutively.

Team changes

Robiul Islam is unlikely to be fit for the first two matches so Khulna's pace attack will be thin of experience with Mashrafe and Al-Amin Hossain also away.  Nurul Hasan

Below the radar

Mustafizur Rahman is a left-arm pace bowler from Bangladesh's previous Under-19 group, and he has also earned a Bangladesh A call-up to West Indies last year as well as a contract with Abahani in the Dhaka Premier League. He made his first-class debut for Khulna last season, but this year he may have to lead the pace attack.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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