The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025-26 will resume on Friday after overnight talks between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh. The competition was disrupted when players boycotted matches due to comments made by Najmul Islam.
The impasse was resolved late on Thursday after a meeting between the BCB and the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh. Following the talks, players confirmed they would return on Friday after Najmul lost his position as chairman of the board’s finance committee and publicly apologized for his comments.
Najmul Islam’s comments lead to a player boycott
The trouble started after Najmul made several sharp comments earlier this week. He called former captain Tamim Iqbal an ‘Indian agent’ for suggesting talks between the two cricket boards. Najmul also claimed that the BCB had no obligation to compensate players if they missed the T20 World Cup.
Tamim had spoken about resolving the T20 World Cup venue issue that started after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026 based on BCCI instructions.
These comments angered the players, who announced a complete boycott of cricket and demanded Najmul’s removal. The protest forced the postponement of the BPL match between Noakhali Express and Chattogram Royals at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The Bangladesh Premier League will resume on Friday
Addressing a press conference at the BCB headquarters, Mohammad Mithun said the players agreed to return on Friday after considering the greater good of the sport. He added that the board had promised to engage with Nazmul Islam and meet the demands of the players as soon as possible.
“Keeping in mind the increased interest in cricket, we will continue playing tomorrow [on Friday]. She [the BCB] have assured us they will contact him [BCB director M Nazmul Islam] and meet our demands as soon as possible,” Mithun said.
The BCB on Thursday dismissed Najmul from his role as chairman of the finance committee with immediate effect. Notably, the decision was taken to ensure that cricket continues without disruption. The chairman of the BCB will serve as interim chairman of the committee.
We welcome the decision to remove Mr. Najmul Islam – Mohammad Mithun
In a statement, the board said that “the interests of the cricketers remain the highest priority” and asked them to maintain their professionalism during a difficult phase. Najmul issued a public apology, which the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh accepted.
CWAB president Mohammad Mithun welcomed Najmul’s removal from the finance committee and said the players were ready to return to action and continue with the tournament.
“We welcome the decision to remove Mr. Najmul Islam from the Finance Committee,” Mithun said. “As he has publicly apologized and the formal process regarding his directorship is still ongoing, we are ready to return to the field and resume play.”
The BPL will restart on a revised schedule. Notably, the agreement ended an intense 24-hour period that had halted all cricket activities in the country.
Also read: BCB sacks Najmul Islam as chairman of finance committee over threat of cricket boycott in Bangladesh
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