Morgan, Duminy get BPL gigs

DHAKA: Eoin Morgan, who led England to their first World Cup title last week, is set for his maiden Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) stint, after signing up with Dhaka Dynamites for the upcoming season.

Morgan has played 268 T20s, scoring 5652 runs at a strike-rate of 128.25. Morgan’s next assignment after the World Cup is the Euro T20 Slam, where he will represent the Dublin franchise. He will then join another World Cup star Shakib Al Hasan at Dhaka later this year.

Meanwhile, Rajshahi Kings have signed up JP Duminy, the South Africa batsman who recently retired from international cricket, as one of their two out-of-draft signings. They haven’t announced their other signing yet.

Duminy has been a regular in other top T20 leagues like IPL and PSL, but hasn’t featured in the BPL until now. He didn’t play in the 2019 season of the IPL, having endured an ordinary 2018 season, scoring just 36 runs in six matches at the strike rate of 90.00. He had a better time at the PSL last year, scoring 251 runs at an average of 35.85, with two fifties.

Khulna Titans have roped in Australian all-rounder Shane Watson. Watson was the first of the two direct signings for Khulna, who finished at the bottom of the points table last season.

Watson, who had missed the 2017 BPL due to injury, after signing up with Dhaka Dynamites that year, said that his primary goal would be to win a maiden title for Khulna.

“I am super excited to join the Khulna Titans for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League season,” Watson said. “The coaching and management team at the Khulna Titans are putting together an amazing squad, so hopefully we can bring home that title that we have always been looking for.”

Watson announced his BBL retirement in April, but he continues to be an active player in other T20 leagues.