Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim have been picked as two of the six icon players for the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) new franchise-based domestic competition, giving the revamped tournament some familiar faces ahead of its launch.
Miraz has been drafted to Walton, while Mushfiqur will turn out for Seven Rings Cement.
Fortune have Towhid Hridoy, ACME have Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, ACE Blue Star have Nurul Hasan Sohan and Citizens Bank have Naim Sheikh as their respective icon players.
The six franchises will now build their squads around those players, with the main player auction scheduled for October 26. Each side will be allowed to assemble a 23-member squad.
The auction will be followed by a domestic season built around a single franchise identity. The new competition, named ‘Domestic-3’, will feature all three formats, with 19 T20 matches, 16 one-day matches and seven four-day games on the schedule.
It will replace the NCL T20, BCL One-Day and BCL four-day competitions, bringing them together under one structure rather than running them as separate tournaments.
The T20 phase is scheduled for December, with matches expected at Barishal Divisional Stadium and the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The four-day leg will be played in January, while the 50-over competition is planned for May next year.
The six franchises have signed three-year agreements with the BCB. The board will continue to oversee the financial framework, including spending limits and the remuneration of players and coaching staff.
Domestic-3 is the BCB’s latest attempt to give the domestic calendar a stronger franchise identity and greater commercial appeal, with the board promoting the new model under the motto of “bringing colour back to domestic cricket.”
Icon Players
Walton- Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Fortune- Towhid Hridoy
ACME- Mosaddek Hossain Saikat
Seven Rings Cement- Mushfiqur Rahim
ACE Blue Star – Nurul Hasan Sohan
Citizens Bank- Naim Sheikh
