The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the launch of the National Cricket League (NCL) T20 edition on Saturday, aiming to provide a platform for local cricketers to prove their talent and prepare for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

The tournament, officially named the Al-Arafah Islami Bank NCL T20 Powered by Walton, will take place from December 11 to 24. 

The tournament's logo was unveiled at a ceremony held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka. The BCB President Faruk Ahmed, BCB Director Fahim Sinha, and representatives from the sponsors were present at the program. 

A total of eight teams, including seven divisional teams and Dhaka Metro, will participate in the NCL T20. 

The league matches will be played at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium and Sylhet Divisional Stadium Outer Ground, while the playoffs and the final will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

BCB President Faruk Ahmed emphasised the tournament's importance in providing local cricketers with a platform to prove themselves ahead of the BPL.

He expressed his hope that the players would seize this opportunity to showcase their skills and contribute to the development of T20 cricket in Bangladesh.

The sponsors expressed their enthusiasm for being part of the tournament and their commitment to supporting cricket in Bangladesh.

The matches will be broadcast live on T Sports, the country's first and only sports channel, with at least 18 matches televised. All matches will also be available on the T Sports app. In addition, the matches will be streamed on the OTT platform FanCode in India and on the T Sports YouTube channel for the rest of the world.