The Bangladesh Cricket Board has changed its rules for Australian captain Steve Smith and has allowed him to play for the upcoming edition of the BPL 2019. The former Australian captain, who is serving a 12-month long suspension after the infamous ball-tampering fiasco, was barred from playing for team Comilla Victorians in the BPL. The franchisees had raised objections about Smith being featured in the BPL 2018-19. But, after a lot of mulling over, the Australian has been allowed to play in the mega event which starts from January 5, 2019. IPL 2019: Steve Smith Hopes to Recover Lost Ground Before World Cup 2019 With Strong Show.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Jalal Yunus said that the decision was taken in the interest of the league. He mentioned that they could not sign him earlier as there was a lot of objection amongst the franchises.  “We could have enforced the clause whereby the BPL can take any decision in the interest of the tournament, but we wanted to be democratic. They have given this to us in writing which we conveyed to the BCB. They have agreed too. Now the team can complete his registration,” said Yunus to a leading cricket portal. Steve Smith is likely to join the team by the second week of January. BPL 2019 Complete Squads: Full Players List of All Bangladesh Premier League T20 Teams.

Smith’s initial signing had also been a breach of rules. The former Australian captain has also signed up to play Pakistan's premier T20 league - the Pakistan Super League between February and March this year. Bangladesh Premier League 2019 Schedule in PDF: Download BPL 6 Full Timetable With Fixtures, Matches, Team and Venue Details.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2019 09:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).