Brothers Union Boycott DPL Match Over Remuneration

A regular-season fixture of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) was abandoned on Friday morning after players from Brothers Union Cricket Club staged a strike over unpaid salaries. While five other matches across the capital got underway precisely at the scheduled time of 09:00, the encounter between Brothers Union and Agrani Bank Cricket Club at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan (BKSP) ground was called off without a ball being bowled.

Although the Brothers Union squad arrived at the sports complex, they collectively refused to participate in the day’s play due to ongoing financial disputes with their management.

Broken Promises and Matchday Protests

Several first-team players, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the strike was a direct response to a prolonged breach of contract. According to the squad, club officials have only disbursed 20 per cent of the total remuneration guaranteed to them for the season.

The players had previously been assured that at least 50 per cent of their contractual earnings would be cleared before the Eid holidays. Despite continuous reminders from the players, the club failed to deliver the funds. On Thursday evening, the squad issued a final warning to the management regarding their dues, but when no payment arrived by Friday morning, the team chose to boycott the fixture.

The immediate administrative outcome of the protest at the ground is detailed in the table below:

Official Response and Relegation Crisis

Match Referee Enayet Hosein Chowdhury Tamim confirmed the details of the abandonment, noting that match officials followed all standard waiting protocols before making a final decision. The referee stated:

“They did not provide their player list, nor did they arrive for the toss. The captain of Agrani Bank and I were waiting. We waited for approximately half an hour. They were also given additional time, but they failed to appear.”

The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), the organizing body of the tournament, issued a statement distancing itself from the financial standoff. CCDM officials claimed they received no prior correspondence from either the players or the club regarding the salary backlog, noting that earlier notification could have allowed them to intervene. However, the committee clarified that player salaries are strictly a internal bilateral matter between the clubs and their contracted athletes, meaning the league has no direct legal obligation to enforce payments.

Brothers Union team manager Amen Khan could not be reached via telephone for comment following the cancellation. The walkover compound what has already been a disastrous campaign for the historic club. Having secured just one victory from their nine completed fixtures, Brothers Union are facing an imminent threat of relegation from the premier division.