Legends of Rupganj reverse decision to confirm DPL entry

Legends of Rupganj councillor Lutfar Rahman Badal on Thursday confirmed that the club will participate in the upcoming Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) 2025–26, ending recent speculation over their withdrawal.

“As you know, we from Legends of Rupganj had released all the players and said that we would not take part,” Badal told reporters in Mirpur.

“Following that, Tamim [Iqbal] called me, invited me, and later the Sports Minister [Aminul Haque] also called me to the Ministry of Youth and Sports today. I had very positive conversations with both of them, and they requested me to take part in cricket’s transfer activities and to stay involved in cricket. I will respect that request.”

Badal added that the team is currently in talks with national ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and may also include several national and emerging players in their squad.

“We are in talks with Miraz. Maybe we will see him in our team… Within this situation, with the players available in the pool, we will try to build a good squad.

“Obviously, we still have Saif [Hassan]. Nasum [Ahmed] is coming. If you consider national team players, we have Nasum, Saif, and Shoriful [Islam]. We are also in talks with Miraz, so we already have three to four national team players in our squad.

“Along with the Under-19 World Cup players and other young talents, we are building a very balanced team. Irfan [Shukkur] is also there. Overall, everything considered, our squad is shaping up well.”

The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) earlier announced that the players’ transfer for DPL 2025–26 will be held on April 18 and 19. The transfers will take place from 11am to 5pm at the CCDM office at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. The tournament, which is likely to be held in a single-round format, is expected to start in early May.

The 12 participating teams in the country’s premier List A competition are: Abahani Limited, Mohammedan Sporting Club Ltd, Gazi Group Cricketers, Legends of Rupganj, Gulshan Cricket Club, Agrani Bank Cricket Club, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Bashundhara Strikers (Dhanmondi Sports Club), Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club, Brothers Union Limited, City Club, and Dhaka Leopards.