Foreign cricketers return to DPL

With no Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) this season, domestic cricket is set for a busier 2026-27 calendar, with the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) planning to bring foreign cricketers back to the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL).

The CCDM are also planning to introduce the Affordable Decision Review System (ADRS) in the Super League to reduce umpiring controversies, with drone cameras to be used as part of the system.

The DPL is scheduled to begin on 10 February and conclude on 17 April, giving the tournament a 67-day window. With no international commitments for the national team during the period, the CCDM expect to have Bangladesh’s leading cricketers available for the league.

Foreign cricketers were one of the major attractions of Dhaka’s club cricket from the early 1980s. Players such as Raman Lamba, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, Steve Tikolo and Dinesh Karthik have all added star power to the league.

The DPL, however, has been played without overseas players for the past three seasons. The CCDM now want to revive that tradition by allowing each club to field one foreign cricketer, Moyeen Uddin Chowdhury Kamru, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Director and chairman, CCDM, said on Wednesday.

Although DPL matches are streamed live on YouTube, umpiring controversies have continued to surface. To address the issue, the CCDM plan to introduce ADRS in the Super League matches at an affordable cost.

“DRS technology is expensive. So, we want to use ADRS in the Premier Division Super League matches on a cost-effective basis. For this, we will have to use drone cameras,” Kamru told Daily Sun.

The CCDM also want greater oversight of umpire appointments. At present, umpires for DPL matches are assigned by the BCB’s Umpires Committee, while clubs have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction over allegations of umpires favouring particular teams.

From the upcoming season, the CCDM have proposed that the BCB communicate umpire appointments to them in advance. It also wants the option to replace an umpire if a club objects.

The committee is also considering introducing a demerit-points system for umpires.

With the BPL absent from the calendar, the CCDM’s priority is to make the DPL more attractive and competitive while raising the overall standard of domestic cricket.