BPL faces indefinite postponement amid player boycott

The ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 could face an indefinite postponement if players remain firm in their stance of not turning up for matches unless BCB director M Najmul Islam resigns.

BCB director and media committee chairman Amzad Hossain told The Daily Star that the fate of the tournament now hinges on whether teams appear for the second match of the Dhaka phase after the opening fixture could not be held.

The second match of the day, between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans, was initially set for a 6:00pm start and later revised to 7:00pm.

Amzad said that if the teams do not arrive, the tournament is likely to be postponed indefinitely.

“If the players don’t show up, we might cancel or postpone the BPL indefinitely,” he said.

Read more

BCB removes director Najmul from finance role amid player boycott

“It depends on the players’ arrival. The event is organised for the players, and the audience comes to see them. If the audience is there but the players are not, then there is no need for it,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the first match of the Dhaka leg between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express was abandoned after neither team arrived at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

The first match was scheduled to begin at 1:00pm, with the toss at 12:30pm. The start time was later extended by an hour, but the teams still failed to show up.

The crisis follows a strong protest from the players, who earlier threatened to boycott all forms of cricket unless BCB director M Najmul Islam stepped down.

Around 70 to 80 cricketers — including several national team players — attended a press conference at a city hotel on Thursday afternoon, where they reiterated their demands and stated they would not return to the field unless those demands were met.

Within an hour of the press conference, the BCB issued a statement announcing that its president had decided to remove Najmul Islam from his role as chairman of the Finance Committee with immediate effect, citing the best interests of the organisation.

Meanwhile, fans who had arrived at the stadium for Thursday’s matches vandalised banners and other BPL-related materials outside the venue in the afternoon. Law enforcement agencies later intervened and brought the situation under control.