United News of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has provisionally suspended several players, team officials, and a franchise owner for allegedly breaching anti-corruption codes during the 12th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The charges follow an investigation by the BCB Integrity Unit into betting activities, corrupt approaches, and the obstruction of investigations. Md. Lablur Rahman, a team manager, and Md. Towhidul Haque Towhid, a franchise co-owner, both face charges for refusing to cooperate with the Anti-Corruption Official. The BCB alleged the pair failed to comply with demand notices and intentionally concealed or deleted relevant communications to delay the probe. Domestic cricketer Amit Mojumder and team manager Rezwan Kabir Siddique have also been charged with entering into bets related to the results and progress of matches. The BCB has given those charged 14 days to respond to the allegations. In a separate move, the board issued an exclusion order against Saminur Lablur for alleged corrupt activities spanning the 9th, 10th, and 11th editions of the BPL. Investigations linked Lablur to international betting networks and the facilitation of corrupt conduct. According to the BCB, Lablur waived his right to a response and accepted the exclusion order.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the schedules for two upcoming home series on Friday, confirming a two-match Test series against Pakistan in May followed by a six-match white-ball series against Australia in June. The Pakistan squad is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on May 3. The first Test will commence on May 8 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the capital. The teams will then travel to Sylhet for the second Test, which begins on May 16 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Both matches are part of the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Following Pakistan's departure, Australia will arrive on June 5 for three One-Day Internationals and three T20Is.. The ODI series is set to begin on June 9, with the second and third matches scheduled for June 11 and June 14. All ODI fixtures will start at 11 a.m. local time. The T20I leg of the Australian tour will start on June 17, followed by matches on June 19 and June 21, featuring 2 p.m. starts. The board has not yet confirmed the host venues for the Australia series.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has advanced the match timings for the upcoming home series against New Zealand and the Sri Lanka women’s team as part of a national effort to conserve fuel and electricity. Under the revised schedule announced on Thursday, the One Day International (ODI) matches will begin at 11 a.m. local time, instead of the previously scheduled 3 p.m. The Twenty20 International (T20I) games have been moved up to 2 p.m. from their original 6 p.m. start time. By avoiding evening hours, the board aims to conclude the ODIs by 6:30 p.m. and the T20Is by 5:10 p.m., significantly reducing the reliance on stadium floodlights. BCB President Tamim Iqbal indicated on Wednesday that daylight scheduling would be implemented to save energy, though the specific hours were formalized by the board the following day. The New Zealand national team is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on April 13 for the white-ball tour. The three-match ODI series will commence at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on April 17, followed by the second match at the same venue on April 20. The teams will then travel to Chattogram, where the Bir Shreshtha Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium will host the final ODI on April 23. Chattogram will also stage the first two matches of the T20I series on April 27 and April 29. Both squads will subsequently return to Dhaka for the third and final T20I on May 2 at Mirpur. Along with these, the BCB confirmed that the match timings for the Sri Lanka women’s team's upcoming three-match T20I tour of Bangladesh this month have also been adjusted. Those fixtures, initially slated for 6 p.m. starts, will now be played in the afternoon.  

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has finalized the salary structure for local and overseas cricketers ahead of the inaugural Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL). The player draft for the three-team tournament is scheduled for March 14, with the competition slated to run from April 3 to 15. Local players will be divided into five categories, headlined by the "Icon" tier. Each franchise will recruit one Icon player, who will receive the highest remuneration of BDT 10 lakh. National team captain Nigar Sultana is confirmed as an Icon, while vice-captain Nahida Akter and Sobhana Mostary are under consideration for the remaining two spots. Following the Icons, six cricketers will be placed in Category A, earning BDT 7 lakh each, with franchises picking two players from this tier. Category B will feature 12 players earning BDT 5 lakh each. BCB introduces strict quotas for NCC amid opening eve mishap Around 20 players will be listed in Category C with a salary of BDT 3 lakh. Any player unsold in Category C will be moved to Category D, which carries a base price of BDT 1.5 lakh. National selector Sajjad Ahmed stated the final categorized list will be confirmed in the coming days. Franchises will have the option to sign foreign players directly before the draft or pick them from the draft pool based on player interest. Overseas recruits will be categorized into three salary tiers: Category A ($8,000), Category B ($6,000), and Category C ($3,000). Teams are mandated to include at least four foreign players in their squad and must field exactly two overseas cricketers in the playing XI for every match. The BCB has set the franchise ownership fee at BDT 30 lakh for the three-team event. Nabil Group, the owners of the reigning men's BPL champions Rajshahi Warriors, has already formally expressed interest in acquiring a team. Matches are expected to be hosted at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur and the Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has implemented stringent age and residency regulations for the upcoming 64-team National Cricket Championship to boost competitiveness, though the tournament's eve was marred by a road accident involving the Chandpur district team. Beginning Sunday, the two-tier 50-over competition will restrict teams from fielding more than four players over the age of 30, a move designed to eliminate the casual participation of much older individuals and foster a stronger Under-23 development pipeline. And, squads are now limited to hiring a maximum of three players from outside their home district. This officially reverses a previous practice that sometimes saw entire squads formed by non-local cricketers. The board has noted they will consider exceptions for an extra over-30 player if districts can verify their superior quality over younger alternatives. The tournament structure features two 32-team tiers, with a promotion and relegation system in place. Top-tier group winners will advance to a three-day competition in April 2026, while the bottom eight teams will face relegation. To identify emerging talent, the board is deploying coaches across the 16 match venues for a dedicated scouting program. Top-level players not involved in the Bangladesh Cricket League one-day competition, such as Hasan Murad and Musfik Hasan, are also participating. Despite the board's push for increased professionalism, basic logistical challenges remain glaring. Highlighting these infrastructural hurdles, a Chandpur district player sustained injuries in a road accident while the team was travelling precariously with their equipment in an auto-rickshaw just before the tournament.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam has decided not to attend today’s high-voltage T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Colombo, reportedly because the Bangladesh national team is not participating in the tournament. According to BCB sources, Aminul returned to Dhaka yesterday morning following an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Kuwait and has decided to remain in the country. Despite attempts to reach him, he did not respond to queries regarding his travel plans. ‘World Cup boycott was govt’s  decision, I remain firm on this’: Asif Nazrul The decision comes despite Aminul’s pivotal role in the recent diplomatic efforts to save the fixture. He was a key figure in the trilateral meeting in Lahore involving the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), where he urged Pakistan to drop their boycott threat—a threat made in solidarity with Bangladesh’s exclusion from the World Cup. The ICC had invited the board presidents of the five Asian Test-playing nations to watch the match together in Sri Lanka, aiming to use the occasion to bridge diplomatic gaps. While PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and ICC Chairman Jay Shah will be in attendance alongside the Sri Lankan board chief, Aminul’s seat will remain empty.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially announced the launch of the inaugural Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) T20, marking a historic milestone for women’s cricket in the country. The franchise-based tournament is scheduled to take place from April 3 to April 15, 2026. In a statement released on Wednesday, the BCB’s Women’s Wing confirmed that the debut edition will feature three franchise teams. The competition aims to blend experienced national cricketers with emerging local talent, who will be selected through a player draft system to ensure balanced squads. To elevate the competitive standard and provide global exposure, franchises will also be permitted to sign overseas professional players. “The WBPL will mark Bangladesh’s first-ever franchise-based Twenty20 competition for women, representing a pioneering step forward in the professional development of women’s cricket in the country,” the BCB statement read. The tournament will be overseen by a WBPL Governing Council chaired by Rubaba Dowla, BCB Director and Chairperson of the Women’s Wing. Further details regarding the franchises, draft regulations, fixtures, venues, and broadcast partners are expected to be announced soon.  

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has officially confirmed that their national cricket team will not take the field against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup, stating the decision was made to stand in solidarity with Bangladesh. Addressing cabinet members in Islamabad on Wednesday, Sharif declared that “politics should not exist on the sports field.” This is the first time the government has publicly articulated the specific reason behind the boycott, which was announced via social media last week. “We have taken a very clear position on the T20 World Cup—we will not play the match against India,” Sharif told his cabinet. “We took this decision after much thought. We should fully stand by Bangladesh. I think this is a very appropriate decision.” T20 World Cup: ICC rejects Bangladesh’s safe-venue request, includes Scotland The diplomatic sporting row stems from the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament. The Bangladesh government had refused to send their team to India citing security concerns, following threats from communal groups that led to pacer Mustafizur Rahman being dropped from the IPL on January 3. While the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested a venue change to Sri Lanka, the ICC rejected the plea, labeling the threat against Mustafizur as “isolated.” Bangladesh’s Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul later said that neither the ICC nor the Indian government provided necessary security assurances. ICC warns PCB of legal and financial fallout over India match boycott Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has supported Bangladesh throughout the process, criticizing the ICC for “double standards” regarding security protocols. The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on February 7. The India-Pakistan clash was scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. The ICC has previously warned the PCB to “reconsider” the boycott, citing potential long-term implications for Pakistan cricket.          

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has strongly refuted social media claims alleging that its President, Aminul Islam Bulbul, is under investigation for corruption, labeling the rumors as “entirely unfounded, false, and fabricated.” To combat the spread of this misinformation, the board filed a General Diary with the Mirpur Police Station on Friday evening against the individuals and platforms responsible for circulating the claims. Earlier on Friday, rumors surfaced on various social media pages suggesting that Alex Marshall, Chair of the BCB’s Integrity Unit, was investigating Bulbul for alleged involvement in match-fixing within the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). In a press release issued this evening, the BCB categorically denied these accusations. The statement included a quote from Marshall himself, who dismissed the social media posts as “completely untrue and fabricated allegations.” Shakib Al Hasan available for selection, says BCB “The dissemination of such misinformation is a matter of serious concern for the Bangladesh Cricket Board,” the statement read. “These actions appear to be a deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of the BCB President and undermine the integrity of the board and Bangladesh cricket.” The board confirmed that it has initiated legal measures to identify and penalize those behind the “false narrative.”

The crisis surrounding the 2026 T20 World Cup has escalated further, with reports emerging that Pakistan is seriously considering boycotting its blockbuster group-stage match against arch-rivals India. The move is being weighed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a major protest against the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland. According to sources, the PCB is reviewing various options to register its dissent, including refusing to take the field for the high-stakes encounter scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. Insiders suggest the board calculates that forfeiting the match—and the associated two points—would be a manageable sporting loss compared to the massive financial and reputational blow a boycott of the tournament's most lucrative fixture would deal to the ICC. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is scheduled to meet the national squad today, slammed the global body for its handling of the situation. He accused the ICC of “double standards” for stripping Bangladesh of its spot while accommodating India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for other events. “You cannot have double standards, where one country can make whatever decision whenever and do the total opposite for another country,” Naqvi said. Naqvi also took a veiled dig at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), saying, “One country cannot dictate another. And if this dictation is attempted, then Pakistan definitely has its own stance.” The final decision, however, rests with the federal government of Pakistan. Naqvi confirmed that the board will announce its official stance once Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returns to the country.  Pakistan is currently scheduled to open its campaign against the Netherlands on February 7.