BPL Matches Rescheduled Following Bangladesh Ex-PM’s Passing

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has rescheduled all Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) all scheduled matches after the death of Khaleda Zia, the country’s former prime minister.

The two matches originally set for Sylhet, Sylhet Titans vs Chattogram Royals and Dhaka Capitals vs Rangpur Riders, have been rescheduled for January 4, 2026, the board confirmed.

The announcement came just hours before the toss for the first match at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, following early-morning news of Zia’s passing.

The BCB also confirmed that no matches will take place on December 31, in line with a government-declared public holiday. Matches scheduled for January 1 and 2 in Sylhet will proceed as planned. A revised itinerary for matches from January 5 onwards will be released in due course.

Zia, who died at 6:00 am local time on Tuesday, was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, serving two terms from 1991 to 1996 and 2001 to 2006. She was the wife of former president Zia-ur-Rahman and served as chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from 1984.

In a statement, the BCB expressed gratitude for Zia’s support of cricket in Bangladesh. The board noted that during her tenure, she contributed significantly to cricket infrastructure development and helped promote the sport nationwide, creating the foundation for modern cricket in the country.

BCB president Aminul Islam added that Zia’s encouragement and vision for cricket had a lasting impact on the sport. He highlighted her and her late son Arafat Rahman’s contributions, noting that their initiatives played a pivotal role in modernising Bangladesh cricket and improving facilities across the country.

The 2025-26 BPL season began on December 26, with three matchdays already completed. Despite the postponements, the league’s schedule is expected to remain largely unaffected due to breaks between matchdays.

In addition, the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) has postponed nine Dhaka First Division Cricket League matches, originally scheduled from December 30 to January 1. Revised fixtures will be issued in the coming days.