DPL under threat as Mohammedan lead call to scrap disputed leagues

A top-level Mohammedan official has said that the club will not take part in the upcoming Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) unless the ad-hoc committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) addresses unresolved issues surrounding the already concluded Dhaka First Division and Second Division cricket leagues, which were held under the leadership of former BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul.

The 2025–26 Dhaka First and Second Division Cricket Leagues were defined as much by a deep administrative crisis as by on-field action. Both competitions witnessed a historic boycott by several clubs protesting alleged irregularities in the BCB election process, resulting in a sharp reduction in participating teams.

In the First Division, only 12 of the originally scheduled 20 teams took part, after eight clubs effectively staged a walkover during the opening rounds.

The Second Division faced a similar situation, with participation dropping by half. Although 24 teams were initially slated to compete, only 12 clubs ultimately confirmed their involvement.

Despite the unrest, both leagues went ahead with revised schedules, beginning in late December 2025 and January 2026.

Now, the protesting clubs—led primarily by Mohammedan—are demanding that the results of those two leagues be scrapped and the competitions replayed in full before they commit to the DPL, particularly with promotion and relegation implications at stake.

“That depends—only after the issue is resolved,” said a Mohammedan official on Thursday night following a meeting between club officials and ad-hoc committee head Tamim Iqbal at the Sher-e Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

“That’s not for me to decide. The clubs that played in the First Division and Second Division will decide what should be done. That was an illegal board, and an illegal competition under it. So it has to be scrapped, doesn’t it? If it gets resolved with them, then we’ll play,” he added.

Meanwhile, the BCB has called a meeting on Saturday to discuss the unresolved issue. When asked about the matter, Mohammedan official Ziaur Rahman Topu told reporters on Thursday, “This issue hasn’t actually been discussed in our board meeting. Also, the Dhaka League hasn’t finished yet—the final standings of any league are only determined at the end. I received a letter today as well.”

“Since I run both Ambar Sporting Club and Bangladesh Boys Club, I’ve received letters for both clubs. The board president has called a meeting on Saturday with all the teams from the First Division and Second Division. The situation will become clear on that day,” he added.

All things considered, the BCB is targeting 5 May as a tentative start date for the DPL, with the player transfer window scheduled for 22 April.

The board had earlier planned to begin the four-day Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) on 21 April. It is understood that the first two rounds of the BCL will serve as preparation for Bangladesh’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan in May.

The competition is expected to take a break afterward, allowing the DPL to take centre stage, likely across six venues in and around Dhaka.