Uncertainty looms over BPL matches amid players’ ultimatum

The rest of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches face serious uncertainty following controversial remarks by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Najmul Islam, with players issuing an ultimatum demanding his resignation yesterday.

Chattogram Royals are scheduled to face Noakhali Express at Mirpur at 1:00pm today, but uncertainty continues to surround the fixture. Even about an hour before the game, apart from a handful of fans, neither team had turned up at the venue, despite players usually arriving at the ground around two hours before any game.

The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) on Thursday night reiterated their hardline stance at a press conference, announcing that players would refrain from all forms of cricket if Najmul failed to resign before today’s scheduled BPL matches. With no resignation forthcoming, the impasse remains unresolved.

In an attempt to defuse the situation, an emergency meeting was held late at night at a hotel in the capital between BCB directors and CWAB leaders. Board officials offered to relieve Najmul of his current responsibilities as head of the finance committee, but the players stood firm on their demand for his resignation from the director’s post.

CWAB president Mohammad Mithun attended the meeting alongside Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Nurul Hasan Sohan, while BCB director Iftekhar Rahman Mithu represented the board.

A BCB director later said that removing a director is complicated under the board’s constitution unless the individual resigns voluntarily. If Najmul remains firm on his position, a quick solution will be difficult.

“The situation is extremely complex. We are still not sure whether the match will take place,” a Chattogram Royals official told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, it was learned that the Noakhali players are also in their team hotel, holding a meeting while also waiting for BCB communication.

The controversy stems from comments made by Najmul on Wednesday evening at Mirpur, where he said that the board owes no compensation to players if Bangladesh miss the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, set to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, arguing that the BCB has never sought refunds from cricketers after poor performances at global events.

“The question [of compensation] does not even arise. We have invested so much on them, they haven’t been able to achieve anything, anywhere. Have we won a single global trophy till now? Then we could’ve said every time, you have failed to perform, whatever we have spent on you, now we will take it back. Return it to us,” Najmul said.

Najmul had also drawn widespread criticism earlier for referring to former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal as an “Indian agent” on social media. Current national team players Mominul Haque, Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed publicly protested against the derogatory remarks.