BCB Announces New T20 Tournament as Players Renew Call for Protest

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a new domestic Twenty20 competition amid an escalating standoff with clubs and players, as unrest continues to grip the country’s domestic cricket structure. Eight clubs have already boycotted First Division cricket in protest against the board, while the wider movement now threatens to deepen, despite BCB’s latest initiative.

In line with an earlier commitment, the BCB on Tuesday unveiled a new tournament titled “Sonar Bangla Pathway”, designed for cricketers from the boycotting clubs as well as players who went unsold in the most recent Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) auction. The board says the competition is intended to provide meaningful match exposure to players currently left outside the traditional club and franchise ecosystem.

According to an official BCB press release, the tournament is scheduled to begin in the first week of January and will feature six to eight teams. Matches will be staged at the Bogura and Rajshahi stadiums, with team selection entrusted to the national selection panel. The BCB has also confirmed that all participating players will receive match fees paid directly by the board.

Key Details of the “Sonar Bangla Pathway” Tournament :

Despite these assurances, the announcement has failed to placate the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB). The players’ body has declared a human chain protest outside BCB headquarters (Gate No. 2) on Wednesday, signalling that the board’s move falls short of addressing their core grievances.

CWAB president Mohammad Mithun remained openly critical, stating that the new tournament was little more than a cosmetic gesture. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mithun remarked that “papering over the cracks” has become a familiar tactic, suggesting the initiative amounted to an “eye-wash” rather than a genuine solution. He warned that even with the tournament in place, a significant number of affected players would still be denied opportunities.

Mithun further cautioned that the protest movement would intensify if swift and concrete measures were not taken. “The human chain is only the beginning,” he said, adding that tougher programmes would follow should negotiations fail to produce meaningful outcomes.

Meanwhile, tensions were further inflamed by comments from former national captain Tamim Iqbal, who reportedly voiced his frustration in a voice message shared within a players’ WhatsApp group late on Monday night. Sources claim Tamim expressed disappointment over the lack of decisive action for First Division cricketers and urged players to put aside personal concerns in favour of collective action. He described the moment as critical and called for “a strong and difficult decision” to safeguard players’ futures, while also encouraging dialogue with CWAB leadership.

The broader dispute continues to cast a long shadow. A total of 43 clubs have declared that they will not participate in Dhaka league competitions, branding the current BCB board “illegitimate”. Although the board has attempted dialogue on multiple occasions in recent months, the protesting clubs remain firm in their refusal to play under the present administration.

With trust eroding on both sides, the newly announced tournament may offer temporary relief for some players, but it has so far done little to quell the deeper crisis threatening Bangladesh’s domestic cricket structure.