BPL governing council drops Chattogram as venue for remainder of BPL season
As per the revised BPL schedule, the Sylhet International Stadium will host matches until January 12. The tournament will then shift to Dhaka. The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur will stage the later rounds from January 15.
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) governing council has dropped Chattogram as a venue for the remainder of the tournament. This comes after the BBL was postponed for two days following the death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Iftekhar Rahman, BPL member secretary, informed that the matches from Chattogram had to be shifted due to a couple of reasons. One among them was that as two days in Sylhet have been lost, the organisers needed to find two extra days to shift the broadcast equipment to Chattogram. And the other one was that they could not have postponed the date of the final as they had to keep the Bangladesh players' preparation for the T20 World Cup.
"There was no gap in our fixtures," Iftekhar told ESPNcricinfo. "Moving from Sylhet to Chattogram, especially with the broadcast equipment needing the shifting between the two cities, will need at least two days. Given that we had to postpone the matches on Monday and Tuesday, we couldn't move to Chattogram.
"I know it is disappointing for Chattogram, but if we started the tournament in Chattogram, Sylhet would have missed out. Our other major concern was the BPL final date. We couldn't shift even one day as the Bangladesh team needs time to prepare for the T20 World Cup. So we had to consider these factors."
As per the revised BPL schedule, the Sylhet International Stadium will host matches until January 12. The tournament will then shift to Dhaka. The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur will stage the later rounds from January 15.
BCB postpones BPL matches after death of Zia
The Bangladesh Cricket Board had called off December 30's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches after Zia's death that day in the morning.
"The BCB recalls with gratitude her [Zia's] constant blessings and good wishes for the progress of cricket in this country. During her tenure as Prime Minister, she provided outstanding support for the development of cricket in Bangladesh, significantly contributing to improvements in cricket infrastructure and the sport's growth nationwide. Her vision and encouragement helped pave the way for many of the advancements the game enjoys today.
"In respect of the nation's mourning and in honour of Begum Khaleda Zia's legacy, the BCB announces that today's scheduled Bangladesh Premier League matches have been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Further details on the revised fixtures will be communicated in due course," BCB said in a statement.