BCL from Jan 12

The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), one of
two four-day domestic competitions in the country, will start from January 12 with an aim to give the national players some longer-version practice before the home series against Sri Lanka.
The first two rounds of the four-team franchisee-based competition will be held between January 12-21 before a long break for Sri Lanka's tour of Bangladesh, the Asia Cup and the ICC World Twenty20.
The remaining round and the final of the competition, which was introduced last season, will be held at a later date.
"The board took the initiative to ensure longer-version practice for the national cricketers ahead of the series against Sri Lanka,” said Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Akram Khan.
“As a very select group of cricketers appear in this premier event, the franchisee representatives have requested the BCB to ensure the participation of the maximum number of national cricketers. That is why the third round and the final will be held at a convenient time when all the top cricketers are available," explained BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury.
The BCL appeared in the domestic calendar for the first time last season. The inaugural edition comprised four zonal teams -- Central, South, East and North -- made of the best players from the National Cricket League (NCL), the other and older first-class competition. The NCL, which involves a lot of travel, was earlier postponed due to the political violence prevailing throughout the country.