The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced plans for a new domestic T20 competition aimed at strengthening the country’s cricketing pathway, while a scheduled players’ protest has been postponed following the death of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
The tournament, titled the Sonar Bangla Pathway T20 Cricket League 2026, was confirmed by the BCB in a statement on Tuesday. The board said the competition is designed to reinforce the domestic structure and provide additional playing opportunities, particularly for cricketers outside the top tier.
Shortly after the announcement, the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) said it would hold a human chain protest on Wednesday. The protest was planned in response to the ongoing situation in first-division cricket, where players from eight teams have been left without competitive matches, despite earlier assurances from the board that alternative arrangements would be made.
CWAB later confirmed that the demonstration has been postponed as a mark of respect following Khaleda Zia’s death earlier on Tuesday. A new date will be announced at a later time.
Speaking on Monday night, before the postponement, CWAB president Mohammad Mithun outlined the players’ concerns. “We asked for another tournament for the players from the eight first-division clubs who are not playing,” he said. “We have discussed this many times. The BCB kept saying it would be done, but nothing has happened.”
Mithun added that the board had taken time until the 24th of the month to address the issue, a deadline that has now passed. “That is why the human chain was planned for the 31st,” he said. “We wanted clarity on how the new tournament would be run and how the payment system would work. CWAB stands with the players. If this can happen in first-division cricket, then what about the others? Cricket cannot be left in this kind of uncertainty.”
While the announcement of the new T20 league has been viewed as a positive step, players remain concerned about communication, scheduling and financial security within Bangladesh’s domestic cricket system.
