The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match scheduled for Thursday was delayed after neither Chattogram Royals nor Noakhali Express arrived at the ground in time for the toss, which was set for 12:30 PM local time.
The fixture was originally due to start at 1 PM, but uncertainty surrounded proceedings as officials waited for clarity.
Match referee Shipar Ahmed confirmed the confusion at the venue, saying that officials were unaware of the exact reason for the delay and that further details would come from the BPL technical committee.
The disruption followed a growing standoff between Bangladesh’s professional cricketers and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Earlier in the day, matches in the Dhaka Cricket League also failed to start after a boycott announced by the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) came into effect.
The CWAB had warned on Wednesday night that players would refuse to take part in all cricketing activities if BCB finance committee chairman Najmul Islam did not resign before Thursday’s BPL match. The ultimatum was issued after Najmul made remarks that players described as insulting and demeaning, including comments suggesting cricketers alone would suffer financially if Bangladesh missed major tournaments.
CWAB president Mohammad Mithun said the remarks had deeply hurt the country’s cricketing community. He added that players felt ignored on long-standing issues and were no longer willing to tolerate what they saw as repeated disrespect from a board official.
In response to the escalating situation, the BCB released a statement expressing regret over comments made by one of its members and distancing the board from those remarks. The board confirmed that formal disciplinary proceedings had been launched, with a show-cause notice issued and a written response demanded within 48 hours.
Sources indicated that the delayed BPL match could still go ahead later in the day, depending on the outcome of a CWAB press conference and any breakthrough in talks between players and the board.