The T20 League is poised to join the ranks of first-class cricket within the National Cricket League (NCL). Consequently, there may be alterations to the schedule of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL).
The T20 World Cup takes place biennially. However, domestically, cricketers in Bangladesh take part in merely 10-12 T20 matches annually. In the league phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) — Bangladesh's sole T20 league — each player is afforded the opportunity to compete in up to 12 matches. Those in the final two teams may participate in as many as 14 matches.
With a dearth of T20 matches throughout the year, players often require 4-5 games to regain form in the BPL. Given that the BPL operates on a franchise model, it does not encompass players from all tiers of domestic cricket. Consequently, T20 remains the weakest format for Bangladesh. Cricketers express discontent due to the limited number of shorter format matches available. This contrasts with the plethora of T20 competitions elsewhere, such as the IPL and Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament in India, and Pakistan's National T20, which are integral to their respective cricket calendars. In Bangladesh, however, the BPL stands alone. This situation may soon change. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Tournament Committee is contemplating the annual organisation of a T20 tournament alongside the NCL. Under the preliminary plan, each of the eight teams in the 'National League T20' — a 29-match tournament — would play seven matches, with the finalists playing eight. The proposed match fee for the tournament stands at TK 20,000.
Ahmed Sazzadul Alam, Chairman of the BCB Tournament Committee, when talking to the reporters, recently stated, “The final decision will be made at the committee meeting on May 21.”
As per tradition, the domestic season will commence with the NCL’s first-class cricket tournament in October. Following the four-day event, the NCL T20, a 20-over competition, will begin. Unlike the two-tier system introduced in the 2015-16 season, the national league will adopt a different format.
In addition to the T20 tournament, new regulations will be implemented concerning player retention and team assembly via a draft. Each team will have the option to retain eight incumbent cricketers, with the remaining six to be selected through the draft. Both the four-day matches and the T20 tournament within the NCL will adopt this team structure.
The BCL, a franchise-based first-class tournament, will be rescheduled to accommodate the NCL T20. In recent years, the BCL has commenced after the NCL and concluded prior to the BPL. The domestic cricket season traditionally ends with the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) in April-May. Should the NCL T20 precede the BPL, the BCL would likely be slated for April-May, as indicated in the NCL T20 proposal.
Minhajul Abedin Nannu, former chief selector and current programme coordinator of the BCB, commented on the T20 tournament’s inclusion in the domestic calendar: “A T20 tournament is now imperative. Imagine the influx of new talent if all eight NCL teams competed in T20. It would afford everyone additional matches.”
The intense heat of April-May, typically reserved for the BCL’s four-day matches, will now make way for the T20 tournament. Nannu, however, perceives a positive aspect to this adjustment.
“We predominantly play Test matches during the summer,” Nannu remarked. “Unlike England and other nations, where first-class matches are not played consecutively but interspersed with other formats, we are considering a similar approach.”
