Chattogram to no longer host BPL games for this season following decision taken after former PM’s passing away.
Chattogram dropped as venue for remainder of BPL season.
Chattogram will no longer host the competition for the remainder of the 2025–2026 season, according to the BPL governing council. The decision was made after the death of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia forced them to postpone the ongoing BPL for two days. The BPL matches will be held at Sylhet till January 12. Following that, Dhaka will host three more matchdays, the playoffs, and the final on January 23.
Iftekhar Rahman, the BPL member secretary, stated that two criteria were taken into consideration when deciding to remove Chattogram. They had to find two more days to move the broadcast equipment to Chattogram after losing two days in Sylhet. Secondly, they have to consider the Bangladeshi players’ preparation for the T20 World Cup, which comes shortly after the end of the BPL.
“There was no gap in our fixtures,” Iftekhar told. “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, 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 take these factors into consideration.”
The owner of the Chattogram Royals sold the team the day before the tournament began on December 26, which has already caused problems for this season’s BPL. Khaled Mahmud, the coach of Noakhali Express, then staged a walkout after receiving insufficient practice facilities. Additionally, there was an on-field tragedy when Mahbub Ali Zaki, the assistant coach of the Dhaka Capitals, died minutes before their game against the Rajshahi Warriors.