Brothers Union Cricket Club have been relegated from the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) after their players refused to take the field on Friday, citing months of unpaid wages. The walkover handed victory to Agrani Bank and confirmed the historic club’s drop to the First Division for the coming season.
Although the Brothers Union squad arrived at the venue, not a single player emerged for the warm-up session. When the umpires called the captains for the toss, there was no response from the Brothers Union camp. The match referee granted an additional ten minutes for the side to take the field, but the players held firm and the match was awarded to Agrani Bank by walkover.
The scale of the grievance runs deep. A source within the team management revealed that players had been raising concerns about unpaid salaries throughout the season, up to the ninth round. On Friday, not only did payments fail to materialise, but no club officials even turned up at the ground.
“We were supposed to receive 20 per cent of our payment upon signing, but that never happened,” the source said. “Since then, we have only been given assurances. We had warned them that we would play up to nine matches, but would not continue unless we were paid. Today, none of the club officials showed up, and they also failed to provide copies of our signed contracts. We told them that if they could not pay us, at least give us the documents so we could take the matter wherever necessary. They did neither.”
On Thursday, club representatives did appear at the ground and handed over some money, but the amount fell well short of what was owed. “It was not even enough to cover travel expenses,” the source said. “How can that be acceptable? Ultimately, we could not play and gained nothing from the situation.”
The players spoke with Brothers Union manager Amin Khan, but claimed he showed little interest in finding a resolution. Amin Khan could not be reached for comment.
The financial strain had already taken a personal toll before Friday’s events. Several players were unable to return home during the Eid-ul-Azha holiday, and some could not afford to perform Qurbani. “The club gave some players only Tk 10,000 to Tk 15,000. It is unbelievable,” the source said.
Payment disputes and financial mismanagement have dogged Brothers Union for the better part of fifteen years, surfacing repeatedly in the national media. The current crisis, however, also has an institutional dimension. On 19 May 2026, the club had written formally to BCB president Tamim Iqbal, requesting that the relegation process be reviewed and cancelled. They argued that during a meeting on 9 April, shortly after Tamim took charge of the BCB, club representatives had been given a verbal assurance that there would be no relegation in this edition of the tournament. When the BCB reversed that position after the transfer window had closed, clubs had no opportunity to adjust their planning.
The BCB did not act on the request, and the relegation system remained in place. Brothers Union, having won just one of their nine matches this season, sit bottom of the twelve-team table. Friday’s walkover defeat confirmed what had long seemed inevitable. The club will compete in First Division cricket next season.
