Penalty looms for Brothers cricketers over boycott

Brothers Union cricketers are set to face disciplinary action following their boycott of a Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) match over unpaid dues, according to sources familiar with a meeting between club officials and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) representatives at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday.

A final decision is expected after the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) formally refers the matter to the BCB's disciplinary committee.

"Disciplinary committee will decide the penalty once CCDM hands it over to them," a BCB official told Daily Sun.

The controversy erupted last week when Brothers players refused to take the field for their scheduled match against Agrani Bank Cricket Club at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan, resulting in a walkover.

Under DPL by-laws, the incident also triggered Brothers' automatic relegation from the league.

The players maintained that they had been left with no option after repeated attempts to recover outstanding payments from club officials failed.

The incident received backing from the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh, which blamed Brothers officials for failing to honour payment commitments and called for stronger safeguards to protect players' rights in domestic cricket.