Bangladesh Cricket Board issues show cause notice to director, players don’t show up for first BPL game

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday issued a show cause notice to its director, M. Nazmul Islam, over his publicly made objectionable comments about the country’s cricketers.

“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read. “A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process, and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”

The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), however, has remained firm on its call to boycott all forms of cricket until Islam resigns.

According to ESPNCricinfo, players from Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, scheduled to feature in the opening Bangladesh Premier League fixture, had not arrived at the venue at the time of writing, leading to an indefinite delay of the match. Earlier in the day, four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League were also called off.

CWAB leaders are expected to address the media shortly.

The background of the controversy

The furore began after Najmul, while reiterating the country’s refusal to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup, dismissed concerns over player remuneration in the event of a withdrawal.

He said the players would not be compensated, arguing that they had not justified such support so far.

Bangladesh is refusing to tour India, citing security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League on BCCI’s instructions for unspecified “developments all around.” It is still in talks with the ICC to figure a way out after the world body showed reluctance to shift Bangladesh’s four games in India to Sri Lanka.

BCB had said it would deal with Najmul but urged the players not to boycott cricket.

“The matter will be dealt with through due process, and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings. The BCB firmly believes that the players are the main stakeholders and the lifeblood of the BPL and of all cricketing activities under the Board.

“The Board sincerely hopes that the cricketers will continue to demonstrate their professionalism and commitment by supporting the successful completion of the tournament and ensuring the smooth continuity of the BPL 2026,” it added.

Najmul had earlier described former captain Tamim Iqbal as an “agent of India” after Tamim called for a restrained handling of the standoff, warning that decisions taken now could have repercussions a decade down the line.

The CWAB described Najmul’s remarks as “utterly condemnable.”

(With inputs from PTI)

Published on Jan 15, 2026