BPL franchise Fortune Barishal reveal the secret behind Wasim Akram's claim of David Miller's marriage postponement

Fortune Barishal, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise, have trashed Wasim Akram‘s claims of David Miller receiving a hefty amount from them to play in the last edition of the tournament.

Akram recently raised several eyebrows by claiming that Fortune Barishal paid the South Africa star a fee of $150,000 to play just three games in the tenth edition of the BPL. In those three games, David Miller registered knocks of 17, 22* and 8*. The left-handed batsman also hit the winning runs in the BPL final against Comilla Victorians in Mirpur earlier this month.

Earlier this week, David Miller also tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend and fiancee Camilla Harris. The wedding ceremony took place in Cape Town on Sunday, March 10. While the Proteas star was receiving congratulatory messages from all around, Akram sensationally claimed that the batsman postponed his wedding to play three games in the BPL.

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Speaking on ‘The Pavilion’ on A Sports, Akram said: “I just found out today because we were discussing who won the BPL as we were not following because of the PSL. David Miller was offered $150,000 to play three matches. He postponed his wedding”.

Fortune Barishal responds to Akram’s claim about David Miller:

Fortune Barishal have denied Akram’s claim about paying a hefty amount to David Miller for just three games in BPL 2024. Mizanur Rahman, owner of the franchise, has called it ‘absolutely untrue and false info’ while insisting that David Miller decided to stay and play because of his emotions for the team.

“No, these [information] are not true at all. These are absolutely untrue and are false info,” Rahman told The Daily Star.

“He stayed because of his emotion [the emotional bond that he had created with the Barishal team members], not just because of money. Was Wasim Akram with the team? I know how much he [Miller] got paid. So, these claims are not true,” Mizanur added.

On the other hand, Fortune Barishal team manager Sabbir Khan stated that the South Africa batter did not postpone his wedding, saying: “Mizanur bhai knows about the money as he dealt with that aspect. But one thing I can assure is that his [Miller’s] wedding was not postponed. It was scheduled for March 9 previously and it took place on that date. He wanted to skip the final and leave a bit early to spend some time with family, but eventually, he left just after one game.

“After we ensured our spot in the final, Mizanur bhai spoke with him and then he agreed [to play the final]. His wedding was scheduled for March 9 and the [BPL] final was on March 1. If he [Wasim Akram] checked Instagram then he would have seen that the wedding took place on March 9.

“He [Miller] might be a very aggressive batter on the field, but he is actually a very emotional person. He had a great rapport with the Barishal teammates and maybe that’s why he stayed back.

“Also, it is ridiculous to assume that he was paid almost USD 50,000, which is almost equal to 60-65 lac Taka, for every match [as Miller played just three games]. No way is this possible,” Sabbir added.

David Miller will be seen in action next in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. He will be plying his trade for Gujarat Titans. IPL 2024 is scheduled to be played from March 22 while the Titans will open their campaign on March 24 against five-time champions Mumbai Indians.