United News of Bangladesh

The Dhaka Dominators have earned their first victory in the Bangladesh Premier League 2023 with a six-wicket win over the Khulna Tigers on Saturday in Mirpur. This match was also marred by absence of DRS, as this year's BPL has a trend to be criticized for its messy management. Soumya Sarkar was given out in the last over of the powerplay in the first innings after Nasum Ahmed successfully hit his pads. But Soumya went for a review, and the field umpire called upon the third umpire for the decision. The giant screen installed in the field showed that Soumya was out, but, right after that, Soumya had a discussion with the umpire. Within a couple of minutes, the decision was overturned! REad: BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL This caused Tamim Iqbal, the senior batter of Khulna, to speak with the umpire. It was clear that it was not a friendly conversation in the middle, but eventually, Soumya was deemed not out at that stage. After the foggy weather cleared, the match started after a dealy of half an hour. Dhaka won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Khulna Tigers scored 113 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Yasir Ali was their top scorer with 24 runs off 25 balls. Mohammad Saifuddin also contributed 19 runs off 28 balls. Read: BPL 2023: Rony Talukdar fifty leads Riders to victory The Dhaka bowlers were well disciplined, with Al Amin Hossain leading the charge with four wickets for 28 runs. Nasir Hossain and Arafat Sunny also contributed taking two wickets each. In reply, Dhaka Dominators reached the target of 114 runs with five balls to spare. Opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera scored 22 runs off 18 balls, while Nasir, their captain, scored 36 off 36 balls. Soumya Sarkar chipped in with 16 off 13 balls. Mohammad Saifuddin took two wickets for Khulna, but it wasn’t enough to stop Dhaka from securing victory. With this win, Dhaka Dominators have taken an early lead in the Bangladesh Premier League 2023.  

On Thursday, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the CEO of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), attempted to respond to Shakib Al Hasan's severe criticism concerning the chaotic administration of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), claiming that Shakib does not possess a full understanding of the predicament the BCB is facing. A day later, on the opening day of the BPL, the CEO was confronted once againwith questions concerning Shakib's criticism in a press conference that should have taken place a few days earlier. Unfortunately, Nizamudin failed to answer them satisfactorily. “This is not the time to talk about it,” he said in a press conference which should have taken place a few days earlier that had the presence of the Chairman and Secretary of the BPL Governing Council - the prominent individuals organizing the event. “We are now focussing on holding the event successfully,” a clearly discomfited Nizamuddin added. While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Shakib expressed his disappointment at the poor management of the BPL, claiming that it is worse than the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. He went on to state that if he were in charge of the BPL, he would not take more than one or two months to address the issues currently affecting the tournament. Read: “If I were CEO of BPL, it’d take me 1 or 2 months to make necessary changes”: Shakib He also criticized the dearth of practice venues for the teams taking part in the event, and the uncertainty surrounding the involvement of foreign players. Further, he bemoaned the declining brand value of BPL, in comparison with other leagues that have been established since its inception. “People don’t watch BPL in other countries. And we failed to sell it well,” Shakib said. Of course, all that the Tigers' Test captain had served up was a dose of harsh truths, whether BCB likes it or not. Nor was Shakib, one of the most well-travelled cricketers in the world on the T20 circuit, the only one. Khaled Mahmud, the current director of the BCB and the coach of the BPL team Khulna Tigers, also spoke out. His sentiments were echoed by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain and captain of the BPL team Sylhet Strikers, and Mohammad Salahuddin, the legendary BKSP coach now in charge of Comilla Victorians. But instead of taking the criticism on board and acknowledging the wayward ship that the BPL has become in the last few years, BCB was left smarting. Why else would a little-known official, Ismail Haider, secretary of the BPL governing council, make a surprise appearance at the opening day press conference to throw pointed questions at Shakib? “If the Dhaka Premier Division is a superior league, why does Shakib not play there more often? He usually avoids playing in the Dhaka League, but never does the same when it comes to the BPL,” Ismail said, before mentioning that he has no intention of arguing with anyone. The fact is the BCB has failed once again to provide a satisfactory explanation for its inability to implement the Decision Review System (DRS) technology in the BPL. Ismail declared that they had the necessary funds and machinery to implement DRS, but they were lacking in skilled manpower to operate it - as if finding the manpower was not part of their responsibility too. He then went back to moaning about the current economic state of the country, and kept harping on the phrase ‘financial crisis’ on many occasions, as he attempted to explain why there was no inaugural ceremony - not the most important thing anyway - in a roundabout, confusing manner. Read: BPL 2023: Rony Talukdar fifty leads Riders to victory It prompted a journalist to flag Ismail’s contradictory statements. And then he just lost it. “You know nothing; if you did, you wouldn't be asking such a question,” Ismail said obnoxiously, clearly flustered by the end. Sheikh Sohel, the chairman of the BPL governing council, was not willing to respond to Shakib's criticism. He instead enthusiastically stated that he would be happy to have Shakib as the head of the BPL if the cricketer so desires. Of course, he did not actually mean to replace himself with Shakib. Maybe as CEO?

In the second match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023, Rangpur Riders beat Comilla Victorians by 34 runs on Friday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  Rony Talukdar hits 67 to lead the Riders to victory.  The Comilla Victorians, who bowled first after winning the toss, fell short of the Rangpur Riders’ score of 176 runs in 20 overs, as they were all out for 142 runs in 19.1 overs.  Rangpur Riders' opener Rony top scored with 67 off 31 balls with 11 fours and 1 six, while Mohammad Naim scored 29 runs off 34 balls. Shoaib Malik scored 33 off 26 balls and Sikandar Raza scored 12 off 10 balls. Nurul Hasan, the Riders’ captain, remained unbeaten on 19 off 11 balls.  Read: BPL 2023: Sylhet Strikers make a flying start winning a low-scoring match For Comilla Victorians, Imrul Kayes top scored with 35 off 23 balls, while Jaker Ali scored 17 and Dawid Malan scored 15.  Hasan Mahmud was the pick of the bowlers for Rangpur Riders, scalping 3 wickets for 20 runs in 3.1 overs. Robiul Haque and Sikandar Raza scalped two wickets each as well.  In the end, Rangpur Riders emerged victorious by 34 runs. In the day's first match, Sylhet Strikers beat Chattogram Challengers by eight wickets. 

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.       

Bangladesh has been grouped with defending champion Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. Two arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been put in the same group with a qualifier team in the six-nation Asia Cup Cricket 2023 scheduled for September. President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and secretary of the  Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah confirmed it  while announcing the cricket calendar of the council for the year 2023 and 2024 on Thursday. The ACC boss said that the ensuing Asia Cup will be played in 50-over format in September this year, though the itinerary and the host country have not been announced yet. Pakistan is the original host of the Asia Cup this year but the BCCI is not keen on playing there owing to political tension between the two countries. The Asia Cup 2023 will be a six-team affair involving India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and a qualifier team. Sri Lanka are the defending Asia Cup champions after beating Pakistan in the final of the last tournament played in T20 format ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. With India set to host the ODI World Cup later this year and the focus of all the participating teams being on the 50-over format, so this year’s Asia Cup will be held in ODI format. Read more: India reclaim Women's Asia Cup crown

The press conference for revealing the title sponsor of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 was scheduled to be held at 12 pm today. But it took place an hour later.  Unfortunately, this was not a one-off incident but one of many examples of BPL's less-than-desirable management. The highly-anticipated premier domestic cricket tournament in Bangladesh is set to begin tomorrow, with Chattogram Challengers facing Sylhet Strikers at 2:30 pm at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.  Bangladesh Test and T20 Captain Shakib Al Hasan fiercely criticized the governing body of BPL on Wednesday, saying that he could resolve all of the existing issues if he were appointed the BPL CEO. A day later, the CEO of BCB, Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, was asked for his opinion concerning Shakib's comment. Nizam Uddin's response only served to highlight the chaotic state of affairs in the management of BPL, demonstrating his sense of helplessness. “If he was aware of the situation, he would not have said it,” Nizam Uddin said regarding Shakib’s comments. Former captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza today supported Shakib's assertions regarding the mismanagement in BPL, acknowledging that Shakib was right. Read more: BPL 2023: Icon Players, Complete schedule – Dates, Venues & Match Time “It would have been beneficial for Bangladesh if it (BPL) was more organized,” Mashrafe said. “And we also failed to create a better market value for BPL.” He also expressed his displeasure over the fact that five to six teams have to share a single venue for practice during BPL. He noted that this demonstrates that the BPL is still falling short of creating an adequate ecosystem to be deemed one of the top leagues in the world. Mohammad Salahuddin, the highly acclaimed coach of the record-breaking BPL team Comilla Victorians, has echoed Shakib's sentiments, stressing the need for the BCB to work towards increasing the quality of BPL’s management.  Despite the availability of DRS in more recently established leagues, the BPL yet again failed to acquire this service. Nizam Uddin, the CEO, provided no logical justification for their stymied progress. “We have many limitations,” he said again and again at the press conference that revealed the title sponsor. “We have the necessary equipment to run DRS, but we lack the resources necessary to use it effectively.” The CEO of BCB remained tight-lipped when asked about the expected revenue from this year's BPL. He was unwilling to share the amount that the organization had agreed to sell the broadcasting rights for — to a relatively unknown group. Despite that, media personnel continued to press him on the matter, alluding that BCB's lack of transparency was at fault. “Sponsors have a confidentiality agreement with us, and for that reason, we cannot publicly disclose it,” Nizam Uddin said. “However, I can assure you that after a brief discussion, I will share it with you.” Read more: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed A total of seven teams are participating in this year’s BPL, and they will compete in 46 matches at three different venues in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.   

Usman Khawaja made his highest test score, Steve Smith scored a milestone century and Australia reached a commanding 475-4 when rain forced an early end to the second day of the third and final test against South Africa. Khawaja made an unbeaten 195 off 368 balls, with 19 boundaries and a six, and had earlier Thursday shared an epic 209-run partnership with Steve Smith, who made his 30th test century and also became Australia fourth-highest run scorer in tests in front of his home Sydney Cricket Ground fans. Marnus Labuschagne (79) and Travis Head (70) both scored half-centuries as Australia dominated a placid South Africa attack and placed themselves in a strong position to still force a result in a game that has had frequent bad light and rain delays. Khawaja raised his third consecutive SCG hundred before lunch Thursday and then pushed past his previous highest test score of 174 — against New Zealand at Brisbane in 2015 — to close in on his maiden double-century. “It was a great innings, I thought he played exceptionally well from ball one," Smith said on Khawaja's landmark innings. "He was nice and patient when he needed to be and played the spin well. Hopefully he can get two or even three hundred tomorrow potentially.” Khawaja was given a life on 119 when he offered a sharp shin-height chance which Anrich Nortje missed at gully after losing sight of the ball. Read more: Australia crushes South Africa inside 2 days in 1st test Earlier, Smith made 104 to join former Australia opening batter Matt Hayden on 30 test centuries. Only Ricky Ponting (41) and Steve Waugh (32) have more among Australian men’s test players. It was Smith’s fourth century at his home ground and came from 190 balls, with 11 boundaries and two sixes with the former captain receiving a prolonged standing ovation from the 27,663 SCG crowd. “I didn't feel great my first 60-70 balls but after that things started to click and I started felt a lot better," Smith said about his cautious start Thursday. ”Pleased I was able to get through that initial period and give myself a chance." Next over Smith chipped a simple return catch to Keshav Maharaj (1-108) in what was the only blemish in an otherwise flawless four-hour innings. “It was a sign of relief more than anything else," said Maharaj about his first wicket in a tough series for the spinner. "Everyone wants wickets when you're a bowler, it's like a batter who always wants runs, so to get the wicket was a nice sort of relief for me.” On the way to his latest ton Smith passed Hayden (8,625 runs) and Michael Clarke (8,643) for career runs and is now the fourth-highest Australian test run scorer with 8,647 runs, behind Ponting (13,378), Allan Border (11,174) and Waugh (10,927). Smith averages over 60 runs an innings across his 92 tests. “I don't play for that kind of stuff but it was cool to look up and see my name amongst those great players, so it was pretty special.” After twin centuries in a triumphant return to test cricket against England last year, Khawaja had earlier completed his 13th hundred off 206 balls, with nine boundaries as he and Smith serenely accumulated runs after resuming the day at 147-2. Khawaja made 137 and 101 not out against England in the test here last year to firmly re-establish himself in Australia’s batting lineup after being dropped during the 2019 Ashes series. Khawaja and Head combined for a brisk 112 run partnership before Head holed out in the deep off Rabada (1-119). Read more: South Africa Clinch Test Series with a Dominant Victory Over India in the Third Test Shortly after play commenced Wednesday, Australia team management advised that batter Matt Renshaw — in the team for the injured Cameron Green — had reported feeling unwell shortly before the match and had subsequently returned a positive test for COVID-19 but would still take part in the match. Renshaw, in his first test since 2018, was separated from the remainder of his teammates and moved into another changing room at the SCG. He batted as expected at No. 6 and was five not out at the end of the day's play. International Cricket Council regulations state Renshaw is permitted to play in the match as long he feels well enough, with the option for a like-for-like substitute if he was unable to play. Australia has already won the series after two crushing defeats in the first two tests at Brisbane and Melbourne. A win for Australia in this third test would confirm its place in the world test championship final to be played at Lord’s in England in June this year.

When there is silence over the management of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ahead of its ninth season kick-off on Friday in Dhaka, Shakib Al Hasan has slammed the governing authority, saying he could have solved all the issues if he were the CEO of BPL. A total of seven teams will be competing in this year's BPL. Each team is allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players per match; however, teams are uncertain about their ability to do so, as most foreign players are not arriving before the tournament commences, with some joining after a few matches, some leaving after a few games, and some returning in between. Shakib said this “mess” is happening because of poor and inefficient management. “If I am given the CEO role, I am confident I can make changes. I anticipate that it will take a maximum of one to two months to implement the necessary changes to fix everything,” Shakib responded to the question of what he would have done if he was the CEO. Shakib was recently appointed as the brand ambassador of a global oil company, and he was the one-day CEO of this company. He talked to the media today. Read more: The times Shakib Al Hasan found himself in controversies “A do-it-yourself situation,” Shakib hinted at the management of BPL. “This makes our Dhaka Premier League (DPL) better than BPL as the teams in DPL can prepare themselves a few months before the league.” The BCB is failing to implement DRS technology from the beginning of BPL. However, the board has stated that DRS will be available for the play-off phase of the tournament. As of January 4, it remains uncertain who will be broadcasting the most prestigious cricket event in Bangladesh, and what revenue the BCB will be able to generate from the broadcast rights. Shakib believes that BCB has failed to adequately market the BPL, which he considers to be a major shortcoming of the board.  Read more: Shakib Al Hasan shines in Caribbean Premier League “When a player performs well in the Big Bash, PSL, or CPL, they are rewarded with a chance to join the national team. However, the BPL has not gained the same level of attention, which is disheartening,” Shakib said.    

Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq missed out on his second successive century as New Zealand pinned down Pakistan’s progress to 224-4 on the third day of the second test on Wednesday. Imam followed his 96 in the drawn first test last week with a knock of 83 runs before he was caught behind after captain Tim Southee successfully overturned an on-field not out decision through television referral in the only wicket to fall in the first session. Saud Shakeel, who took 42 balls to get his first run on Day 2, survived an lbw referral in the last over before lunch against Matt Henry and moved to a sedate 43 off 158 balls while Sarfaraz Ahmed was unbeaten on 27 at the break. Read: Williamson, Sodhi give New Zealand 81-run lead over Pakistan Pakistan still trails by 225 runs after New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Henry and Ajaz Patel had lifted the total to 449 with a century stand. Fast bowlers Southee (1-42) and Henry (1-46) tied down Pakistan with their miserly opening spells on Day 3 as they conceded just 15 runs off their 11 overs. Resuming on 154-3, Imam started off confidently with a boundary off Henry’s first ball of the day through point before Southee got the breakthrough in his second over at the stroke of the hour. Read: Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant hospitalised after car crash Imam, who hit 10 fours and a six, batted for just over four hours but tried to play away from his body and the replays suggested the ball had taken the toe-end of his bat to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell. Imam had revived Pakistan innings with an 83-run stand with Shakeel after captain Babar Azam was run out in a bizarre mix-up with him and had Pakistan in trouble at 99-3 late on Day 2.

Another season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is waiting to start in the new year, and fans are already buzzing with excitement. The ninth edition of this franchise-based T20 tournament will kick off on January 6, with the match between Chittagong Challengers and Sylhet Strikers. This year’s tournament is sure to be a thrilling spectacle, with some of the biggest names in cricket set to take the field. The BPL has always been known for its star-studded line-ups, and this year is no exception. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the complete schedule of the 2023 BPL on Saturday. This article will cover the BPL 2023 event's complete schedule, key players for each BPL team, and venues. Read More: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed BPL 2023 at a Glance Opening Match: January 6, 2023. Final Match: February 16, 2023 Duration: 42 days Cricket Format: T20 Tournament Format: Double round-robin and playoffs Number of Teams: 7 Total Match: 46 Venues: Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet. Read More: BPL 2023: Salahuddin laments lack of DRS BPL 2023: Complete Schedule Table: Schedule of BPL 2023 Date Match Venue Time Jan 06, Fri Chattogram Challengers vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:30 PM   Comilla Victorians vs Rangpur Riders Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:15 PM Jan 07, Sat Dhaka Dominators vs Khulna Tigers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Fortune Barishal vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 09, Mon Comilla Victorians vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Chattogram Challengers vs Khulna Tigers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 10, Tue Fortune Barishal vs Rangpur Riders Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Dhaka Dominators vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 13, Fri Chattogram Challengers vs Fortune Barishal Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 02:30 PM   Khulna Tigers vs Rangpur Riders Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 07:15 PM Jan 14, Sat Comilla Victorians vs Fortune Barishal Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 02:00 PM   Chattogram Challengers vs Dhaka Dominators Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 16, Mon Dhaka Dominators vs Sylhet Strikers Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 02:00 PM   Chattogram Challengers vs Comilla Victorians Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 17, Tue Khulna Tigers vs Rangpur Riders Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 02:00 PM   Comilla Victorians vs Sylhet Strikers Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 19, Thu Comilla Victorians vs Dhaka Dominators Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 02:00 PM   Fortune Barishal vs Rangpur Riders Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 20, Fri Chattogram Challengers vs Khulna Tigers Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 02:30 PM   Dhaka Dominators vs Fortune Barishal Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 07:15 PM Jan 23, Mon Chattogram Challengers vs Rangpur Riders Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Comilla Victorians vs Dhaka Dominators Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 24, Tue Fortune Barishal vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Khulna Tigers vs Dhaka Dominators Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 27, Fri Rangpur Riders vs Sylhet Strikers, 25th Match Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 02:30 PM   Chattogram Challengers vs Fortune Barishal Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 07:15 PM Jan 28, Sat Comilla Victorians vs Khulna Tigers Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Chattogram Challengers vs Sylhet Strikers Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 30, Mon Dhaka Dominators vs Rangpur Riders Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Khulna Tigers vs Sylhet Strikers Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Jan 31, Tue Dhaka Dominators vs Fortune Barishal Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Comilla Victorians vs Khulna Tigers Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Feb 03, Fri Fortune Barishal vs Khulna Tigers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:30 PM   Dhaka Dominators vs Rangpur Riders Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:15 PM Feb 04, Sat Chattogram Challengers vs Comilla Victorians Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Rangpur Riders vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Feb 07, Tue Chattogram Challengers vs Dhaka Dominators Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Comilla Victorians vs Fortune Barishal Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Feb 08, Wed Khulna Tigers vs Sylhet Strikers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Rangpur Riders vs Chattogram Challengers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Feb 10, Fri Comilla Victorians vs Rangpur Riders Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   Fortune Barishal vs Khulna Tigers Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Feb 12, Sun Eliminator Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 02:00 PM   1st Qualifier Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:00 PM Feb 14, Tue 2nd Qualifier Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:15 PM Feb 16, Thu Final Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 07:15 PM Read More: BPL 2023: All Teams Squad, Captain, Players List details A total of 46 matches will be played in the 42-day cricket festival of seven teams. The matches will take place in three venues in  Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet.. Two matches, one during the day and one during the night, will be played each day until the eliminator.As usual, this year’s BPL will start with the Dhaka phase. In week days the the first match of the day will begin at 2 PM. The second match will be played at 7 PM in the evening. However, taking into account the audience on Friday, the BCB has slightly delayed the start time of the match. Friday’s matches will start at 2.30 PM. The evenging games will also start a bit later on this day of the week; instead of 7 PM, those matches will be played at 7:15 PM. BPL 2023 will start with the match between Chittagong Challengers and Sylhet Strikers at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at 2:30 PM on January 6. Like the beginning, the Dhaka phase will also end with the Sylhet match, and the BPL will move to Chittagong after their match against Dhaka Dominators on the night of January 10. Read More: 7 local cricketers get direct contracts in 2023 BPL In the first match of the Chittagong phase, Fortune Barisal will fight against the hosts on January 13. The match will start at 2:30 PM. Barisal will also play the last match of this phase against Dhaka on the night of January 20. After that, BPL will return to Dhaka again. After the four matches on January 23 and 24, the Sylhet phase will commence, with hosts Sylhet battling Rangpur Riders in the first match of the day on January 27. This phase will end with the match between Comilla Victorians and Khulna Tigers on January 31. The Dhaka phase will start again with the match between Barisal and Khulna on February 3. All the remaining matches till the final will be held in Mirpur. The eliminator games will take place on February 12 at 2 PM, with the first qualifier for it beginning at 7 PM on the same day. The second qualifier will occur on February 14. Read More: BPL: From “world’s second-best” to “best domestic” league The second qualifier for the 2023 BPL will be held on February 14, with the final two days later on February 16. One reserve day will be each for the eliminator, qualifier, and final matches. How to Watch BPL 2023 Live? Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 will be broadcast live on T-Sports and GTV. On these two channels from Bangladesh, enjoy the live game. If you are outside the country, you can watch BPL live on the following channels. Also, BPL can be watched from all over the world on Rabbitholebd Sports. BPL 2023 Key Players While there were no icon players in the auction, some players can take their team to the final. Let’s see some of the icon players in 2023 BPL. Taskin Ahmed Taskin Ahmed will play for Dhaka Dominators this season. He played for Sylhet Sunrisers last season but could not continue playing for them due to injury. So, he aims to give his full effort to perform his best. Read More: BPL 2023: Mahmudullah in Barishal, Mushfiqur in Sylhet Afif Hussain Chattogram Challengers’ 2022 BPL captain Afif Hussain will also play for the same team this year. Despite not winning the title, the young batsman’s leadership caught the attention of the franchise. Chittagong is relying on Afif for this season of BPL. Litton Das With his recent deal with Kolkata Knight Riders, Litton Das will be playing more confidently with his BPL team Comilla Victorians. Since Litton has had great form recently, Comilla can expect an uninterrupted performance from him as the team is starting the tournament as defending champion. Shakib Al Hasan BPL 2022’s player of the series, Shakib Al Hasan, will surely put all his effort into Fortune Barishal. Apart from this, he won the five players of the match award. And he was also the third most wicket taker with 16 wickets. Read More: BPL 2023: What Mashrafe, Perara and Amir can bring to Sylhet Strikers Tamim Iqbal Last year played for Minister Dhaka, and Tamim Iqbal will play for Khulna Tigers this year. Tamim had an excellent BPL season in 2022. With a total of 407 runs in 9 matches, Tamim was the third most run in the tournament. Mashrafe Bin Murtaza Mashrafe Bin Mortuza will be the icon and captain of Sylhet Strikers in BPL 2023. Although Mashrafe could not shine for Minister Dhaka in the 2022 season, he may lead Sylhet this year with his brilliant captaincy. Mahmudullah Riyad Mahmudullah will play for fortune Barishal. Although he did not get the team by direct sign-up, Mahmudullah has participated in all the seasons of BPL. With an average strike rate of more than 100, Mahmudullah has been consistent in BPL. He had some incredible performances with two players of the match award in last year’s BPL for Minister Dhaka. Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur Rahim will be a key player for Sylhet Strikers this season. Although he did not have a good season last year with Khulna Tigers, this year, he is expected to put his full effort with Captain Mashrafe’s direction. Not to mention, Mushfiqur Rahim was the second player in BPL to touch the 2000 runs milestone in 2020. Nurul Hasan Sohan Nurul Hasan played for fortune Barishal last year and will play for Rangpur Raiders this year. Rangpur signed him up directly to be the captain of the team. Read IPL Auction 2023: Sold Players List, Team, Major Players to watchMore:  BPL 2023 Venues BPL will be played in three venues Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka; Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong; and Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium It is also known as Mirpur stadium. Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium will host 26 matches of BPL 2023, including the opening match and final match of the tournament. It has a capacity of around 26,000 which means around 26,000 people can enjoy a BPL match at a time on this ground. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium This stadium will host 12 BPL matches in the 2023 season. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium has a 22,000 capacity. Since the beginning of BPL, it has been one of the main venues for BPL. Apart from BPL, this stadium also hosted numerous international cricket tournaments. Read More: 2022 Cricket Year Review: A Flashback of the Major Events  Sylhet International Cricket Stadium With an 18,500 capacity, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host 8 BPL matches in 2023. It hosted BPL for the first time in 2017. Apart from BPL, Sylhet hosted the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and 2014 ICC Women’s World Twenty20. Final Words Since this year’s winter seems to be more severe than previous years, there are possibilities to change the BPL 2023 schedule due to fog and extreme weather. However, if everything is alright, this schedule and order of matches and time will remain active.