Bangladesh’s domestic season is set to begin in the first week of October with the National Cricket League (NCL) four-day tournament, which will enter its 28th season.
For the past two years, the BCB has started the domestic season with the NCL T20 in late September, followed by the traditional four-day competition in mid-October. This year, however, the longer format will kick off the domestic season.
A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official confirmed to TIMES of Bangladesh that the NCL longer version was initially scheduled to begin on September 30 but has now been pushed back to October 2 or 3. The board is yet to make an official announcement.
“Yes, the NCL longer version was planned for a start on September 30. But, we have decided to push it back to October 2 or 3,” the official said.
Asked whether the fixtures had been finalised, the official said the board has prepared a draft and expects to finalise it next week.
The NCL will feature eight divisional teams, with the tournament set to use the SG ball instead of the Duke ball this year. Preliminary squads have already been formed for some divisions, while the final squads are yet to be confirmed.
Defending champions Rangpur will be joined by Dhaka, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna, Chattogram, Barishal and Mymensingh, who replaced Dhaka Metro last year.
The domestic calendar had been uncertain due to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), with the scheduling of the NCL T20 also linked to the fate of the 13th edition of the franchise tournament.
BCB president Tamim Iqbal said on Thursday that this year’s BPL is unlikely to take place.
“I don’t think so. BPL won’t be held this year,” Tamim told reporters when asked whether the board had enough time to organise the tournament.
With the BPL unlikely to go ahead, the NCL T20 is now expected to take its place in the domestic calendar, according to the BCB official.
