The Bangladesh Premier League will no longer visit Chattogram this season. Tournament bosses confirmed the switch late on Tuesday after losing two match-days in the wake of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s death. Instead, Sylhet keeps the current block of fixtures until 12 January; Dhaka then stages three regular match-days plus the play-offs, with the final locked in for 23 January.
BPL member secretary Iftekhar Rahman said two practical issues forced their hand. “There was no gap in our fixtures,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Moving from Sylhet to Chattogram, especially with the broadcast equipment needing the shifting between the two cities, will need at least two days. Given that we had to postpone the matches on Monday and Tuesday, we couldn’t move to Chattogram.”
The second concern is Bangladesh’s build-up to June’s T20 World Cup. “I know it is disappointing for Chattogram, but if we started the tournament in Chattogram, Sylhet would have missed out. Our other major concern was the BPL final date. We couldn’t shift even one day as the Bangladesh team needs time to prepare for the T20 World Cup. So we had to take these factors into consideration,” he added.
The adjustment means travelling sides face a tighter finish but avoid another equipment relocation – an expensive eight-truck operation that tends to swallow 48 hours before a single ball is bowled. Broadcasters were reluctant to squeeze that process into an already shortened window.
It has been a bumpy campaign even before the latest reshuffle. Chattogram Royals lost their owner on the eve of the opening double-header on 26 December. A day later, Noakhali Express coach Khaled Mahmud walked out after complaining about bare-bones practice facilities. More tragically, Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki collapsed and died minutes before his side’s match against Rajshahi Warriors, a moment that left players visibly shaken and officials scrambling to offer counselling.
For supporters in Chattogram, the decision stings; their only live cricket this season will now be domestic first-class fixtures. Yet administrators argue the trade-off secures an uninterrupted climax and gives the national squad a clean runway into its World Cup camp. From a pure scheduling standpoint it is hard to disagree, though the optics of a big city missing out are never great.
The league still hopes healthy crowds in Sylhet and Dhaka will soften the blow. Results, as ever, will dictate the mood.
