DPL will be held: BCB

Cricketers gather to protest the delay in the start of the Dhaka Premier League and the payment issues regarding the Bangladesh Premier League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

The uncertainty with regard to this year's Dhaka Premier League (DPL) was dispelled yesterday when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president assured local cricketers that the 50-overs competition would 'surely' take place this year.
The announcement was made after an impromptu meeting between the president and a number of local players yesterday afternoon. The meeting was a response to a protest organised by the players at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium against dilly-dallying on the league.
"The [BCB] president has assured us that the league would take place this year. We have taken a week's time, in which we will talk to the clubs and try to come to a solution," said Jalal Yunus, chairman of BCB's media committee. "So far we have received a positive response from the representatives of the clubs. The best possible time for the league might be either May-June or August-September," he added.
Apart from demanding a quick-start to this year's league, the 70-odd cricketers in Mirpur also raised the issue of the players payment with regard to the Bangladesh Premier League. BCB officials stated that the board would complete the players' payments if the franchises failed to.
"We have decided to take a hard stance and provide a final deadline to the franchises. We will go for a legal action otherwise. Payment won't be an issue as the board will take care of it," said Yunus.
The DPL, which was initially scheduled to kick off in March this year, was indefinitely postponed as per the demand of the participating clubs. Representatives of the clubs stated a number of reasons behind the postponement of the league, amongst which the unavailability of the national players was the most highlighted.
As most of the cricketers involved in the competition are heavily dependent on it for their livelihood, the players decided to take to the field in order to voice their concerns.