Bangladesh's two national captains, Najmul Hossain and Litton Das, along with left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman and several other key national players, were overlooked as the six franchises picked icon cricketers for the Bangladesh Cricket Board's Domestic-3, an across-format tournament.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Naim Sheikh and Mosaddek Hossain were picked by the six franchises through a lottery process as icon cricketers. The six franchises are set to compete across the three formats: ACE Bluestars, Fortune, Citizen Bank, Walton Group, Seven Rings Cement and ACME.

Mehidy will represent Walton, while Hridoy was picked by Fortune. Saikat will be the icon player for ACME, while Mushfiqur was picked by Seven Rings Cement. Nurul Hasan Sohan has been named ACE Blue Star's icon player, while Naim Sheikh will represent Citizens Bank.

Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim and some members of the current national team also failed to attract the franchises, who appeared to prioritise player availability above all else.

The franchises' choices raised quite a few eyebrows. However, BCB president Tamim Iqbal insisted it was a tactical move more than anything else.

“I think we need to think about it differently because at the end of the day this is a domestic tournament and players availability is very important,” Tamim said at the launch event of Domestic-3 at a city hotel on Sunday (September 27).

“I think in the first pick they wanted someone who is available for the whole season like say Naim Sheikh is not playing in the national team and his chances of playing in all three formats is higher than others,” he said.

“We will do a draft or auction on October 26 though I am not sure but one among the two will be in place and our super stars like the fast bowling unit or others will be picked. If I do auction it will be because every team will have the opportunity to pick players of their own choice that will not be the case if the draft happens.

“I feel that you are confused with a lot of picks and can have questions regarding that but I feel they have prioritized those players who are available considering the fact it is a domestic tournament,” he said.

The competition will replace the NCL T20, Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) four-day competition and BCL One-Day tournament. The T20 leg will feature 19 matches, followed by 16 matches in the 50-over competition and seven in the four-day format.

The T20 tournament is expected to begin in December at Barishal Divisional Stadium and the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The four-day competition will follow in January, while the 50-over leg is scheduled for May next year.

The six franchises have signed three-year agreements with the BCB, although the board will retain significant control over the financial and operational aspects of the competition.

Each team will build a 23-member squad through a single player auction on October 26, with those players forming the core of the franchise across all three formats.

“The T20 format, one-day format and four-day format will all be under one tournament. This is going to replace the NCL T20, BCL four-day and BCL one-day competitions,” said Tamim.

The BCB will set spending limits for the franchises and determine the remuneration of both players and coaching staff.

The cost-control measures are aimed at keeping franchise spending within a defined limit while improving financial opportunities and playing exposure for domestic cricketers as the three formats are brought together under one structure.

The BCB hopes the new model will add greater continuity and commercial appeal to domestic cricket while delivering on its stated aim of bringing colour back to the game.