Chattogram dropped as venue for remainder of BPL season

The BPL governing council has dropped Chattogram as the tournament's venue for the rest of the 2025-26 season. The decision came after they had to postpone the ongoing BPL for two days following the death of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia. Sylhet will continue to host the BPL matches till January 12, after which Dhaka will host three more match days, followed by the playoffs, and the final on January 23.

BPL member secretary Iftekhar Rahman said the decision to drop Chattogram was taken considering two factors. One, having lost two days in Sylhet, they had to find two extra days to shift the broadcast equipment to Chattogram. Two, they also had to keep in mind the Bangladesh players' preparation for the T20 World Cup, which follows soon after the BPL's conclusion.

"There was no gap in our fixtures," Iftekhar told ESPNcricinfo. "Moving from Sylhet to Chattogram, especially with the broadcast equipment needing the shifting between the two cities, will need at least two days. Given that we had to postpone the matches on Monday and Tuesday, we couldn't move to Chattogram.

"I know it is disappointing for Chattogram, but if we started the tournament in Chattogram, Sylhet would have missed out. Our other major concern was the BPL final date. We couldn't shift even one day as the Bangladesh team needs time to prepare for the T20 World Cup. So we had to take these factors into consideration."

This season's BPL has already faced difficulties when Chattogram Royals' owner gave up the franchise the day before the tournament started on December 26. Noakhali Express coach Khaled Mahmud then staged a walkout when he wasn't provided adequate practice facilities. There was also on-field tragedy when the Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki passed away just minutes before their match against Rajshahi Warriors.