BPL 2025-26 postponed indefinitely after player boycott

Following the willingness of professional cricketers in Bangladesh to boycott participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025-26, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) may be forced to cancel the entire season out of concern for maintaining fair competition among all participants. The boycott is a result of negative light being cast upon the players, primarily by BCB Director/Finance Committee Chairman, Nazmul Islam, but has been further exacerbated by a series of statements made by Nazmul regarding the players' integrity. Consequently, as a means of gaining attention to their grievances and concerns regarding Nazmul's actions, the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) has formally requested that Nazmul resign from his position or else there would be a full boycott of all forms of cricket by the players. A number of meetings have occurred between the CWAB leadership and the BCB to resolve this matter, but all have been unsuccessful, resulting in additional delays in completing the BPL schedule for the remainder of 2025-26.

The incident that brought this matter into the public view occurred during the recent "Dhaka" part of the BPL. When the teams that were scheduled to participate in the opening match of the BPL between the Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, which was supposed to take place at 1:00 pm on the 19th of February, failed to arrive at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium by 3:00 pm (a two-hour delay), both teams will have failed to participate in the tournament on their scheduled date. Not being able to field the two teams caused an enormous disruption to the tournament's schedule and is a clear indication of the seriousness of the conflict between the players and the BCB.

See Also: Bangladesh Cricket Turmoil: Nazmul Islam sacked after controversial remarks on Tamim Iqbal and T20 World Cup 2026

As the second match of the day, Rajshahi Warriors vs Sylhet Titans approached, BCB Director and Media Committee Chairperson Amzad Hossain stated the continuation of the tournament will be based on the teams' willingness to participate and reiterated that if there is no participation from the players, the BPL may be postponed indefinitely or cancelled. As the current stand-off continues, the future of the league is uncertain, with a continued lack of resolution. The future of BPL 2025-26 will depend upon how the players and board resolve their issues.

BPL 2025-26 to be postponed till issues are fixed

Earlier, around 70 to 80 cricketers, including several national team members, held a press conference in Dhaka, announcing that they would not return to play unless BCB director Nazmul Islam resigned. In an attempt to manage the crisis, the Bangladesh Cricket Board removed Islam from his role as Finance Committee chairman and issued him a show-cause notice regarding his controversial remarks. Despite these actions, players remained steadfast, asserting that their protest would continue until the board fully met their demand for his resignation.

The BCB confirmed that formal disciplinary proceedings against Nazmul Islam had been initiated, and he was given 48 hours to respond to the notice. However, CWAB president Mohammad Mithun emphasized that these partial steps were inadequate, and the player boycott would persist until Islam resigned. The standoff’s impact extended beyond the T20 league, affecting the first four matches of the Dhaka Cricket League scheduled for the day. The ongoing dispute underscores deep tensions between the players and the board, leaving the domestic cricket calendar in uncertainty.