Cricket legend and President of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Kapil Dev on Monday said no decision has been taken yet on whether Bangladeshi players will be allowed to compete on the PGTI Tour.
His remarks come in the wake of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision not to send its national cricket team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, citing security concerns and government advice. The situation followed the release of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on the BCCI’s instruction.
When asked about the possible exclusion of Bangladeshi golfers from the PGTI Tour, Kapil said the matter is yet to be discussed. “We’ll sit down and talk about the recent issue. We haven’t taken any decision on it yet,” he said.
Several prominent golfers from Bangladesh, including Jamal Hossain, Md Siddikur Rahman and Md Akbar Hossain, currently compete on the PGTI circuit. Kapil, however, declined to comment on the BCB’s reported move to approach the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the issue.
The former India captain was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of one of the franchises of ‘72 The League’, a new franchise-based golf league conceptualised by the PGTI. The league aims to introduce a team format in a sport traditionally dominated by individual competition.
Kapil said India needs to explore team-based structures in golf to accelerate the sport’s growth, drawing parallels with cricket’s transformation following the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“I played cricket, a team game. Golf, on the other hand, is an individual sport. But India needs a team format in golf as well,” he said. Emphasising the impact of team dynamics, Kapil added that while individual excellence will always remain central to golf, a collective format brings a different energy.
“Individual brilliance will always prevail, but team sport hits different. Our vision is to make golfers experience team sport,” he said.
Kapil further said the league’s primary aim is to promote golfers and give them a stronger platform. “A golfer should talk more. We are here just to promote them. Like cricket, only cricketers should talk about it and no one else,” he said.
Referring to the IPL’s influence, Kapil noted that the league model has proven its ability to reshape sports in India. “After what happened in cricket after the IPL, we are trying to replicate that in other sports as well. This league is a step in that direction,” he said.
UP Prometheans were announced as the first franchise of ‘72 The League’, with five more franchises expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
