The Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League (DPL) is set to resume from May 31, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media release informed today. The Premier League season of 2019-20 was postponed in mid-March 2019 following the outbreak of coronavirus.
The competition would however get a fresh start and will be played in T20 format rather than one-day format, the BCB media release further informed. The news will come as a welcome relief for the majority of players in the country who rely on domestic cricket for their income.
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“The 2019-20 season’s League was postponed on 19 March 2020 after just one completed round of matches in compliance with measures taken to fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The competition will now have a fresh start and will be played in a T20 format instead of the usual 50 overs,” BCB press release said.
“The CCDM with the support of the BCB plan to organise the DPL from May 31. As decided earlier it will be a T20 event. Considering the busy international schedule and the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, we believe that T20 is the ideal format for the 2019-20 League,” CCDM Chairman Kazi Inam Ahmed was quoted as saying in the media release.
“The BCB President has given a clear direction on the importance of players’ safety during these times. The Board has successfully completed two tournaments this season and has hosted the West Indies in Bangladesh. We will draw from these learnings and make plans for the Bangabandhu DPL accordingly. We know what this league means to the players and clubs and appreciate their support during the planning stage,” he had said.
Although the Premier League is slated to return, the BCB had to suspend the National Cricket League (NCL) for an indefinite period in April after the fresh surge of coronavirus in the country.
