In Khulna’s Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, echoes of the last international cricket match have faded, leaving local sports fans yearning. Despite its revered status as a Test venue and a host of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium stands ensnared in neglect. Read: FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Bangladesh to play much stronger Australia in Melbourne on Thursday  The once-vibrant stadium has steadily deteriorated. With approximately 10,000 gallery seats, over half are now in ruins due to negligence. The media box, electronic scoreboard, pavilion building, and side screen are all nearly non-functional. While a domestic league took place last year, this year, the stadium remained dormant with Mustafizur Rahman Russell, the venue in-charge, emphasizing routine maintenance efforts such as mowing the field, planting grass, and maintaining the pitch. Khulna's significant contribution to the Bangladesh national cricket team, boasting cricketers like Habibul Bashar, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, and others from the Khulna Division, only highlights the glaring absence of international matches at the home ground of these stars. Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, situated in Muzgunni area next to Khulna-Jashore road, was inaugurated in 2004. The stadium's official journey began with several ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup matches held that year. Starting with a capacity of 15,000 spectators in 2004, it was expanded to 20,000 in 2012. The last Test match was played in 2015 against Pakistan. Read: ICC World Cup 2023 Semifinal: Preview of South Africa vs Australia ODI  The stadium, once referred to as the "Lucky Venue" for hosting victorious matches, witnessed its last international cricket in 2016. Damaged in the cyclone of April 5, 2016, the stadium has seen no renovation in the seven years since, exacerbating its decline. Mahian Shikder Arin, a 10th-grader, expressed the disappointment of a generation who, having attended a match in 2016, now longs to witness international cricket at the stadium. Mahbubur Rahman Sifat, former captain of Khulna's under-18 cricket team, highlighted the absence of international matches since 2016 impacting the local cricket scene and its players' contributions to the national team. Nazmus Sadat Sumon, president of Khulna's cricket organization Kapilmuni Krira Shikkha Prothishthan, expressed concerns over the waning interest in cricket due to the prolonged absence of international matches at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium. Mustafizur Rahman Russell, the venue in-charge, acknowledged the gradual deterioration of media centers due to non-use. He assured that fieldwork would commence soon, with project engineers preparing a budget. While the tender process is underway, the restoration remains a work in progress. Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Kohli hits record-shattering 50th ODI century surpassing Tendulkar SM Mortaza Rashidi Dara, general secretary of Khulna Divisional Sports Association, acknowledged the stadium's current status and emphasized its use for various matches despite the absence of international games. Tenders for gallery renovation are pending approval, delayed by the pandemic and other factors. Advocate Md. Babul Howladar, member secretary of Khulna Citizen Society, called attention to the neglect of Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, a ground that produced many star cricketers. He urged immediate renovation and the resumption of international matches to revive Khulna's cricketing spirit.  Several cricket enthusiasts also advocated for hosting the BPL in Khulna, citing the city's newly established hotels. With the recent inauguration of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, the travel time to Khulna has significantly decreased to only 3 to 3.5 hours from the capital city of Dhaka. This improvement offers fans a more convenient and efficient journey to Khulna for the BPL matches.    

Sylhet Strikers won the first match of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) beating Chattogram Challengers by eight wickets on Friday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The match was scheduled to take place at 2:30 pm, but it kicked off a half hour earlier - a further testament to the subpar management of the BPL. Sylhet won the toss and sent Chattogrma to bat first.  Chattogram had a disappointing start as Mehedi Maruf was run out for 11 in the 3rd over and Darwish Rasooli, their Afghan recruit, was out for a mere 3 runs in the 4th. Their hopes of a major score were pinned on Al-Amin, but he too fell for just 18 runs. Skipper Shuvagata Hom's single run only added to their woes, further worsening the situation. But, Afif Hossain got the innings back on track with 25 runs off 23 balls with 3 fours. Unmukt Chand couldn't make a big score as he was out for 5 runs. Mrittunjoy Chowdhury added 3 runs while Nihaduzzaman scored 8 runs before getting out. Malinda Pushpakumara and Mehedi Hasan Rana remained unbeaten and added 6 and 2 runs respectively. At the end of 20 overs, Chattogram Challengers made 89 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. For Sylhet, Rejaur Rahman Raja bagged four wickets conceding only 14 runs in four overs.  Also Read: Asia Cup Cricket: Bangladesh grouped with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan In reply, Sylhet Strikers had to do better on a difficult Mirpur surface to take the lead. They started well, with Najmul Hossain Shanto making 43 runs off 41 balls. Colin Ackermann was out for 1 run but Zakir Hasan made a quick 27 runs off 21 balls to set up a winning total. Mushfiqur Rahim remained not out on 6 runs as Sylhet Strikers achieved their target in 12.3 overs.  Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain, made a return to competitive cricket after an eight-month hiatus, captaining the Sylhet Strikers in this edition of the BPL.       

Dhaka Mohammedan moved to the fifth spot in the 12-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football table after hammering Uttar Baridhara Club 3-0 at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla Friday. Mohammedan went ahead in the match in the stoppage time of the first half (48th minute) as Uttar Baridhara's Ivory Coast defender Youssouf scored an own goal (1-0). Malian striker Souleymane Diabate scored the second goal for the Black and Whites in the 70th minute (2-0). Nigerian left winger Ugochukwu Obi Moneka sealed the fate of the match after scoring the third goal for Mohammedan in the stoppage time of the match (92nd minute). With the victory, the Black and Whites secured the fifth spot in the table with 29 points from 19 matches. Uttar Baridhara remained at the 10th slot with 13 points from 19 matches. The Kings collected 49 points in 19 matches, and they need just one win in their remaining three matches against Saif SC on July 18, Dhaka Abahani on July 24 and Sheikh Jamal on July 30 to lift the title for the third time in a row. Read:BPL Football: Dhaka Abahani thrash Swadhinata 4-1 Six-time champions Dhaka Abahani secured 41 points from 19 matches, seven points behind league leader Kings. In the day's other match, Bangladesh Police dropped a point as their encounter with Rahmatganj ended in a goalless draw at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi. Police slipped to the sixth spot after collecting 29 points; Old Dhaka's Rahmatganj remained in ninth place with 15 points. In the other match, Muktijoddha Sangsad snatched an important point from Sheikh Russel in a goalless affair at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj. Sheikh Russel remained in the 8th slot with 22 points from 19 matches. Muktijoddha remained at the 11th slot after securing 12 points from 19 matches. Swadhinata remained rooted at the bottom of the points table with nine points from 19 matches.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Bashundhara Kings will start their Group D campaign of the AFC Cup Football' 2022 taking on Maziya Sports & Recreation Club of the Maldives on Wednesday. The match will kick-off at 9 pm (local time) at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata. Also read:Bashundhara Kings reach Kolkata to compete in AFC Cup Earlier, two Indian contenders,  ATK Mohun Bagan FC:of Kolkata  will face Gokulam Kerala FC  in the opening Group D match of the AFC Cup at 5 pm local time at the same venue. Last two times BPL champions Bashundhara Kings, which reached Kolkata last Saturday (May 14), to play the group matches of the AFC Cup, will face ATK Mohun Bagan on May 21 and Gokulam Kerala FC on May 24 in their remaining Group D matches. ATK Mohun Bagan of Kolkata qualified for the group stage of the AFC Cup eliminating Dhaka Abahani Limited by 3-1 goal in a play-off match in Kolkata on April 19 last.. A total of 38 leading club teams of Asia, split into 10 groups, will battle for the coveted club crown eyeing on the final on October 22 next. Also read: AFC Cup: Williams guides Mohun Bagan to group stage eliminating Abahani Asia Cup Football, which was introduced in 2004, also offered a substantial prize money this time with the champion team getting USD 1.5 million and the runners-up will get USD 750,000.in addition to prestigious continental trophy.

The 2nd phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, the country's most prestigious soccer league, begins on Sunday in Rajshahi and Gopalganj. In the 2nd phase opener, newcomers Swadhinata KS will play defending champions Bashundhara Kings at 3:30 pm at Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi. Also read: BPL Football: Sk Russel beat Swadhinata KS 2-1 In the day's other match, Sheikh Jamal DC will play Uttar Baridhara Club, also at 3:30 pm at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj. On the following day (Monday), four matches will be held in Dhaka and other regional venues. Six times champions Dhaka Abahani Limited will meet Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in Gopalganj while Saif SC will face Bangladesh Police FC in Rajshahi, both will kick off at 3:30 pm. .In Monday's other matches, Chittagong Abahani will play Rahmatganj MFS at Sylhet District Stadium while Dhaka Mohammedan SC will encounter Sheikh Russel KC at Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka, both will kick-off at 3:30 pm. After the eleven- round first phase matches,  last two times champions Bashundhara Kings comfortably maintained their solo lead in the league table securing 26 points while Dhaka Abahani  Ltd followed them distantly with 22 points. Also read:BPL Football: Kings play 3-3 draw with Sk Jamal; Dhaka Abahani beat Uttar Baridhara 5-2 Two teams-- Sheikh Jamal DC and Chittagong Abahani Ltd --were in the 3rd slot securing 21 points each. Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Swadhinata KS are struggling at the bottom places securing seven and six points respectively.

Comilla Victorians, the two-time winner of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), is 149 runs away from the final of the ongoing edition of the Bangabandhu BPL.  They restricted Chattogram Challengers to 148 for 10 in 19.1 overs in the second Qualifier of the BPL on Wednesday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the highest runs getter for Chattogram with his 38 from 44 balls with three fours and two sixes while Akbar Ali posted 33 off 20 balls with two fours and two sixes. READ: BPL 2022 Qualifier 2: Chattogram Challengers vs Comilla Victorians Preview, Team News Will Jacks and Zakir Hasan made a good start to the innings when they posted 31 in 3.3 overs before losing Jacks to Shohidul Islam for 16 off 9 balls with two fours and one six. Zakir made 20 off 19 balls with four fours. He was set well before falling prey to Moeen Ali.   But the middle-order of Chattogram failed to do well as Chadwick Walton, Afif Hossain and Shamim Hossain fell for 2, 10 and a duck respectively. Zakir and Shamim were removed by Moeen off two consecutive deliveries.  Coming to bat at nine, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury posted 15 with two sixes before falling to Shohidul Islam after Abu Hider Rony takes a great catch at the deep. For Comilla, Moeen Ali scalped three wickets conceding 20 runs in three overs while Shohidul also bagged three off 33 runs in three overs.  Now, the Victorians need to score 149 to march to the final where Fortune Barishal have already booked a place beating Comilla in the first Qualifier. The final will be played on February 18 at Sher-e-Bangla.

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has been hit by the latest outbreak of the Covid pandemic, as "several players and staff" are down with the virus, according to the chief physician of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). For the last two days, some players took part in individual or unofficial practice sessions at the BCB Academy. None of them was part of the team bio-bubble as it's yet to come into effect. Read: BPL: Chattogram Challengers unveil their jersey “A few players and staff members have tested positive for Covid-19,” Debashis Chowdhury, the chief physician of BCB, told the media on Tuesday. “Most of the players are scheduled to give their specimen on Tuesday, and we will see how many return positive.” He, however, did not disclose the names of the players or teams down with Covid. The players who will return negative will join their respective team's bio-bubble, and those who test positive will need to maintain isolation, Debashis added.  This year’s BPL has been rebranded as the Bangabandhu BPL to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  The first match of the BPL will take place on January 21 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  A total of six teams are taking part in this year’s BPL, which will be played in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.  Read: BPL 2022: 3 days to go, but no official preparation by the teams as yet With only three days to go, no team started their official preparations. But they are expected to do so by Wednesday.  Many foreign recruits are already in Dhaka, and many are scheduled to reach the capital soon. Some members of the foreign coaching staff have already reached Dhaka and joined their respective teams too. 

With only five days ahead of the new edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Sylhet Sunrisers has recruited West Indian Lendl Simmons. The Sunrisers team management confirmed their inclusion on Sunday. Read: BPL sans DRS, possibly Afghanistan series too “I’m happy to be a part of Sylhet Sunrisers,” Simmions told in a video message. “I’m looking forward to playing for them and lifting the trophy.” The other three foreign recruits of Sylhet are Devon Thomas, Rovi Bopara, Shiraz Ahmed, Kesrick Williams, and Colin Ingram. Colin Ingram, Kesrick Williams were direct picks for the Sunrisers while Devon Thomas and Shiraz Ahmed were taken from the draft. The Sunrisers has a mixed experienced and young bunch of local players including Taskin Ahmed, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mosaddek Hossain, and Alok Kapali. But they lacked a good set-up of foreign recruits. Read:BPL 2022 Live Streaming: Where to Watch the Most Anticipated Domestic Cricket Matches? With the inclusion of Simmons, they now have a good squad for this edition of BPL, which is rebranded as the Bangabandhu BPL to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. BPL will be kick off on January 21 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. This year’s BPL will be played in three different venues in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.

Federation Cup champions Bashundhara Kings and former league champions Dhaka Abahani Limited maintained their winning streak in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football beating their rivals at different venues on Saturday.

Captain of South Africa cricket team Faf du Plessis expressed his interest to take part in Bangladesh’s premium T20 league- Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). During a Facebook Live show with Tamim Iqbal on Wednesday night, Faf said he would love to take part in BPL in coming years.