Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal is likely to participate in the Everest Premier League (EPL), a franchise-based T20 cricket tournament in Nepal, as he has applied for a No-Objection certificate (NOC) to take part in the league, scheduled to begin from September 25.
Tamim had earlier, made himself unavailable for the upcoming T20 World Cup, slated to be held in the UAE after the remiander of the IPL 2021.
The opener is likely to recover from his knee injury before the start of the EPL 2021, which will be staged at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cricket operation chairman Akram Khan has confirmed about the development.
“We have received a letter from Tamim for NOC to take part in EPL. We will take a decision tomorrow (Wednesday),” Akram was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
As per reports, the BCB is most likley to give a green signal to Tamim as it thinks that the league would be a decent platform to help him make a comeback to competitive cricket.
Tamim will be representing Bhairahawa Gladiators in the league. The franchise has already signed some big names like Chris Gayle, Sandeep Lamichhane and Mohammad Shahzad among others.
The opener had suffered an injury to his right knee during Bangladesh’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in April-May.
Tamim later featured in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka as well the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division T20 League but was forced to quit the tournament midway after aggravating the injury.
He later also missed a one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
Earlier, the EPL was initially scheduled to start on March 14 however, was forced to be postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Notably, the EPL has roped in sportswear brand Seven, which was launched by former India captain MS Dhoni in 2016, as their new principal sponsor for the 2021 season.
After the deal, Seven will also be the exclusive kit and merchandise partner for the league and its six teams.
The 2021 season of the league is officially sanctioned by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).