Tamim unable to intervene as Brothers face relegation

Brothers Union have been relegated from the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) after their players boycotted a match over unpaid wages, with new Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal saying that he was bound by the bylaws after negotiations between the two parties collapsed.

Brothers' players refused to take the field against Agrani Bank Cricket Club on Friday, handing their opponents a walkover.

Under DPL regulations, conceding a walkover carries automatic relegation — a punishment that now appears inevitable for the club, who had already managed just one win from nine matches.

Tamim, speaking at his first press conference after being elected BCB president on Sunday, said that he had tried to find a way out but his hands were tied.

“I sat with them, both parties. I gave them a solution. Since both parties did not have any papers or contracts of players, I cannot make a decision on behalf of board. If one says that I am owed one taka and another says two taka, I need proof. Since there were no contracts, I cannot decide,” he said.

“What I requested was, according to our CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis) rules, if a walkover happens like this, the team gets automatically scratched. The first division and second division situations were different. When we decided not to relegate those teams, that decision was made collectively by 24 teams, not me alone,” he added.

“Today I told them they have two options. Option one: if players and clubs remain divided, the team will automatically be relegated. Option two: they negotiate and resolve it, and if all 12 teams agree to a replay for the sake of cricket, signed by all, then I can propose it to the board. But unfortunately, I heard today (Sunday) that negotiations failed. So now I have not received any letter, and tomorrow (Monday) there is a new fixture, so I have to follow the bylaws,” he explained.

The Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh expressed solidarity with the players and called for Brothers manager Amin Khan to receive a lifetime ban from BCB-related activities.