Player boycott leads to BPL 2025-26 being indefinitely postponed

Published - 15 Jan 2026, 17:26 IST | Updated - 15 Jan 2026, 17:51 IST

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025-26 has come into crisis after a coordinated player boycott brought matches to a standstill, forcing the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to consider an indefinite postponement of the tournament. A protest against controversial comments by BCB director M Nazmul Islam has now led to a full-blown standoff.

The unrest comes from what players described as humiliating and objectionable comments made publicly by BCB director and finance committee chairman M Nazmul Islam. In reply, the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) issued an ultimatum demanding his resignation, warning that players would boycott all forms of cricket if their demands were not met. Despite multiple meetings between players’ representatives and BCB officials, no resolution was reached, leading to a postponement of the league.

The crisis grabbed attention during the Dhaka phase of the BPL when the opening match between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express was abandoned after neither team arrived at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The match, scheduled for a 1:00 pm start, was delayed by an hour, but players continued to stay away, confirming their stance on the boycott.

Later in the day, questions were raised over the second fixture between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans. BCB director and media committee chairman Amzad Hossain stated that the fate of the tournament depended entirely on whether teams turned up for the match. He openly revealed that the BPL could be cancelled or postponed indefinitely if players failed to arrive.

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Earlier, around 70 to 80 cricketers, including several national team members, held a press conference in Dhaka, revealing that they would not return to the field unless Nazmul Islam resigned. Although the BCB attempted damage control by removing Nazmul Islam from his role as finance committee chairman and issuing a show-cause notice over his comments.

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The BCB confirmed that formal disciplinary proceedings had been initiated and that Nazmul Islam was given 48 hours to respond. However, CWAB president Mohammad Mithun made it clear that partial measures were insufficient, and the boycott would continue until a resignation was secured. Notably, the first four-division Dhaka Cricket League matches scheduled for the day were also affected.