Noakhali coaches Khaled Mahmud and Talha Jubair return to training after dispute resolved

Noakhali Express head coach Khaled Mahmud and assistant coach Talha Jubair returned to training on Thursday after briefly walking out midway through the session over a shortage of facilities, with the issue later resolved following discussions with the franchise and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

The incident took place during Noakhali's practice session at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground, where there was a shortage of cricket balls. With the tournament set to begin within 24 hours and Noakhali scheduled to face Chattogram Royals in Friday's evening fixture, the coaches had left the session visibly upset before later resuming their duties.

Earlier in the day, the BCB took over the Chattogram Royals franchise after the owners submitted a withdrawal letter, as the tournament appeared to be unravelling on the eve of its start. A video circulating at the venue showed veteran coach Khaled Mahmud telling the media, "Not feeling like it, won't be doing BPL," before departing the ground.

"An official behaved badly with the coach and he was upset. Mainly there were not enough balls during the practice session and due to some mismanagement, the coaches were upset," a Noakhali source said.

Sources added that the franchise was attempting to procure new balls, although it was unclear at the time whether the situation would be resolved later in the day. According to those sources, only three balls had been provided for the session.

Mahmud later returned to the venue after talks with the franchise owners and the BCB, following which the matter was resolved.

"It's just a misunderstanding and things happened in the heat of the moment. Thanks to the team owners who are standing behind me here. They talked to me and the BCB did too. It was a misunderstanding in training since the facilities weren't there. Because I didn't get the required equipment, I was upset. Maybe they misbehaved slightly, and even before the start of the tournament if it's like this, I was thinking what would happen when we lose matches. But the team owners were kind enough and it was just a misunderstanding," Mahmud told the media.

The veteran coach was also seen speaking with BCB president Aminul Islam after returning to the Sylhet stadium.

Player payment issues had plagued the previous BPL season, and Thursday's episode has once again highlighted concerns over franchises' ability to maintain a professional environment.