Friday, October 10, 2025

Late night drama breaks Kings’ hearts

The entire Bangladesh Premier League was made into a farce on Tuesday when the tournament’s governing body, in a late night meeting, ruled Barisal Burners as the fourth semi-finalist instead of Chittagong Kings.
The decision was a complete reverse from the governing council’s previous clarification that said the Kings qualified as semi-finalist by virtue of a better head-to-head record.
Barisal thought they had qualified when they defeated Chittagong in 15 overs, to go ahead in net run rate, but the tournament bylaws seemed to have suggested otherwise.
Having been oblivious of the bylaws, tournament’s official broadcaster and website announced Barisal as the semi-finalist and the franchise were congratulated by all.
But the tournament’s governing council left them shell-shocked when they announced that it will be Kings, not Burners, in the semi-final as head-to-head record will come into force before net run rate.
The clause of 21.8 ( 2) of the bylaws said : ‘When three or more teams finish with equal points and equal wins in the league, then the team(s) which was (were) the winner of the most number of matches played between those equal teams in the league will be placed in the higher position(s).’
Dhaka, Chittagong and Barisal all have secured 10 points and in that count Dhaka have three wins (two against Barisal and one against Chittagong), Chittagong have two wins (one against Dhaka and one against Barisal) while Barisal have just one win against Chittagong.
So, Dhaka and Chittagong joined Rajshahi and Khulna in the semi-final respectively as third and fourth team in the points table.
Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the BPL governing council chairman, came to the press box on Monday and explained the rule to the media which thought to have cleared all confusion.
But another chapter of drama unfolded at midnight when the BPL governing council convened a meeting and reversed their decision.
In a statement issued at 2:45am the governing council said: ‘Three teams – Dhaka Gladiators, Barisal Burners and Chittagong Kings are on equal (10) points. Dhaka Gladiators have most wins from meetings with Barisal Burners and Chittagong Kings and therefore qualify as the 3rd semi-finalist.’
‘With Barisal Burners and Chittagong Kings both having one win against each other, the 4th qualifier had to be decided on the basis of superior net run rate. Barisal edged ahead of Chittagong on net run rate to become the 4th semi-finalist,’ it ruled.
BPL governing council and technical committee regretted any misunderstanding that may have risen regarding this issue, according to this late night statement.
Chittagong in a press conference in the morning said this was a gross violation of the tournament bylaws and claimed the decision was influenced by bookies, who they said have a strong link with BPL officials.
‘We’ve been dropped in defiance of the bylaws. The governing council rule was fixed by mixing the sub-clauses 1 and 2 of clause 21 (8). But a rule can’t be made by taking some parts of different sub-clauses,’ said Sameer Quader Chowdhury, CEO of SQ Sports, which owns the Chittagong Kings, told a media conference at the roof-top of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.
Ironically, the roof-top of the hotel was allotted to Kings for their team meeting at 11:00am ahead of the semi-final, but instead it had to convene a press conference there on the same period to vent their anger.
‘We have been approached by unknown callers at least three times to fix the matches. All callers seemed to be Indians. We informed this to the ACSU and BPL governing council in written, but we did not get any response,’ he said.
‘Even the man arrested on suspicion the other day was first identified by us,’ he said referring to the arrest of suspected Pakistani bookie Sajid Khan.
‘We have reasons to feel that some other franchisees have got similar kind of offer and many BPL officials are involved. The decision of throwing us out from the semi-final may have been influenced by them,’ he said.
Sameer said if the situation does not improve he will reconsider participating in future editions of BPL.
‘The entire tournament has now become tainted with this decision. We have invested a lot in this tournament. If this trend continues, we will not participate from the next edition,’ said Sameer.
Nasir Ahmed, the manager of Chittagong Kings, said they were victim of a conspiracy.
‘We were waiting for the Dhaka match to be completed. Once they lost we knew we are through. But all of a sudden we came to know from a source that there is a meeting of the technical committee and we are about to the excluded,’ he said.
‘We rushed to the stadium and on arrival we were given a letter at 2:19am which said Barisal are through to semi-final and we are out. We were stunned as this could not happen according to bylaws,’ he said.
Nasir alleged that Barisal had around 25 musclemen present at the BCB office during the technical committee meeting and they threatened them of a dire consequence once they refused to accept the decision of the governing council.
He showed two different points tally from BPL website which one time said Chittagong Kings are in the semi-final and another time said Barisal Burners are in the semi-final.
In the first tally the head-to-head record of teams with equal points was displayed, but it has vanished from other tally.
When BPL technical committee was holding a meeting, the BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal was congratulating them for qualifying in the semi-final in a private television channel talk show.
Kamal also wished Barisal good luck for the next season, which suggested the BCB president was fully convinced about the Chittagong Kings’ position. But within an hour the BPL governing council reversed their position, which Kings officials said a double standard.
‘I think everybody should respect the bylaws. But now what happened is a disgrace for our cricket,’ said Khaled Mahmud, Chittagong Kings coach and a former national captain.
Knowing that they would be playing in the semi-final, Chittagong recruited Pakistan’s Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz, who both arrived in Dhaka in the same flight with some other players for other franchises.
Three other semi-finalists Dhaka Gladiators, Duronto Rajshahi and Khulna Royal Bengals- also have expressed their solidarity with Chittagong Kings.
Dhaka manager Shafiqul Haq Heera was present in the dais during the press conference while Khulna manager Zahid Razzak Masum and Rajshahi manager Faruque Ahmed also turned up.
Masum and Faruque however did not speak to the press and were happy to ensure their physical presence. Heera termed the entire development an unfortunate thing for cricket and said this should not have happened.
‘Everyone should follow the bylaws. If that does not happen then it’s very unfortunate,’ he said.
Kings also moved to the court on the issue and had been waiting for a directive.

-With New Age input

Related News

BCB board shake-up: Rubaba Dowla takes a seat

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Corporate leader and sports organizer Rubaba Dowla has officially joined the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), stepping in for Isfak Ahsan, whose nomination was quietly pulled just hours after yesterday’s board election. The NSC has pulled back his nomination due to claims about his connections with the ousted Awami League government. As ... Read more

BCB elects Aminul as president, Faruque and Shakhawat vice-presidents

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Aminul Islam has been re-elected as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board following the board of directors’ elections that took place at a city hotel in Dhaka on Monday. Faruque Ahmed, a former board president himself, along with Shakhawat Hossain, has been chosen as the new vice-presidents. Aminul, Faruque, and ... Read more

Bangladesh dominates Afghanistan with strong victory in final T20I

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh wrapped up a clean sweep against Afghanistan with an impressive six-wicket victory in the third and final T20 International at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday, clinching the series 3–0 in style. Chasing a target of 144, Bangladesh made it look easy, finishing the game with two overs to spare. Saif ... Read more

Bangladesh secures T20I series victory against Afghanistan

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh has taken a strong 2-0 lead in the three-match series after pulling off an exciting two-wicket win against Afghanistan in the second T20I at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Afghanistan set a target of 147 runs, losing 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Nasum Ahmed (2-25) and Rishad Hossain (2-45) ... Read more

ICC Women’s World Cup: Tigresses starts strong

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh began their ICC Women’s World Cup in style with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. Opting to bat first, Pakistan were bowled out for 129 in 38.3 overs. Bangladesh then reached 131-3 in 31.1 overs, thanks to an unbeaten knock of ... Read more

Aminul, Fahim set to be elected unopposed

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com It looks like Aminul Islam Bulbul, the current president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and vice-president Nazmul Abedeen Fahim are on track to be elected without any opposition in the upcoming board of directors’ election. This comes after the Election Commission rejected three nomination papers on Monday. On Monday, the Election ... Read more

BCB Polls: Razzak set for uncontested win

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Abdur Razzak, the former national team off-spinner and selector, is poised to be elected as a BCB director without any opposition in the upcoming elections, as reported by the Election Commission on Sunday. On Sunday, a total of 51 nomination papers were submitted, from the 60 that had been collected the ... Read more

Liton’s injury sidelines him from Afghan T20I series

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on Sunday the national team for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Afghanistan, set to take place in Sharjah, UAE on October 2, 3, and 5. Jaker Ali Anik will continue to captain the team in the absence of regular skipper Liton Das, who is ... Read more

Razzak steps down as selector, joins BCB election run

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has stepped down from his role on the national selection panel after more than four years of dedicated service. He aims to contribute to the country’s cricket in a more impactful way. Razzak, who joined the selection panel in January 2021, confirmed his decision yesterday ... Read more

Batting failures keep Bangladesh out of Asia Cup final

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh’s hopes of making it to the Asia Cup final were dashed by a poor batting display, as they lost to Pakistan by 11 runs in their final Super Four match at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. In this virtual semi-final, Bangladesh needed to chase down a target of 136 ... Read more

Umpiring legend Dickie Bird dies aged 92

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The cricket world is mourning the news that one of the most popular and famous figures in the sport, Harold “Dickie” Bird, has passed away in his home, aged 92. Former first-class English cricketer Bird officiated his first test match in 1973, and went on to umpire 66 tests and 76 ... Read more

Bangladesh fixtures for ICC Women’s World Cup 2025

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh women’s cricket team will embark on their second-ever ICC Women’s World Cup journey as they depart for Colombo on Tuesday. After making their debut in 2022 in New Zealand, where they recorded a historic maiden victory against Pakistan, the Tigresses will be eager to build on that experience. The 2025 ... Read more

Bangladesh triumphs over Sri Lanka in Asia Cup Super Four Clash

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh opened their Super Four campaign in the Asia Cup with a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Chasing 169, Bangladesh reached the target with one ball remaining, thanks to strong batting performances from Saif Hassan and Tawhid Hridoy. Sri Lanka, asked to bat ... Read more

Hasibul and Salma join BCB selection panel

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Saturday appointed former national team pacer Hasibul Hossain Shanto as a men’s team selector and former women’s team captain Salma Khatun as a women’s selector. With the appointment, Salma became the first woman cricketer of the country to take such a role, which was remarked as ... Read more

BCB’s move to appoint first ever female selector for national women’s team

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Cricket Board is set to appoint a woman selector for the national women’s team, stated board president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Friday. Currently the national selection panel for the men’s team comprises former captain Gazi Ashraf Hossain as the chairman and Abdur Razzak as the member. Hannan Sarkar stepped ... Read more

Bulbul acknowledges Tigresses’ World Cup readiness not ideal

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam believes that the preparation of the Bangladesh national women’s cricket team for the forthcoming ICC Women’s World Cup was not up to the mark. The Nigar Sultana Joty-led team is currently in a camp at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur before going to the ... Read more

Mushfiq on the verge of reaching 100 Test appearances

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s talented wicketkeeper-batter, is on the verge of making history as the first Bangladeshi cricketer to reach 100 Test appearances. This milestone is within reach following Cricket Ireland’s decision to take part in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting on November 10. Ireland will tour Bangladesh between November ... Read more

Tigers leave for Dubai

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh cricket team left for Dubai in the early hours of Friday for the Champions Trophy, which begins in Pakistan and the UAE from February 19. Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh team will play a warm-up match against the Mohammad Haris-led Pakistan Shaheens at the ICC Cricket Academy ground in Dubai on ... Read more

Simmons discusses Champions Trophy preparation Issues

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons acknowledged that the team’s preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy has not been ideal, but he remains hopeful that his players will quickly regain their ODI form before the tournament starts. “I agree that it is not the best preparation. However, they have been playing white-ball ... Read more

Toffee brings free live streaming of ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup

Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com Cricket enthusiasts across Bangladesh can now catch every thrilling moment of the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup live, as Toffee, the nation’s leading digital entertainment platform, streams the tournament for free. The World Cup, hosted in Malaysia, kicks off today, 18 January 2025, and runs until 2 February. Fans can ... Read more