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 chosen to remain steadfast on its call to boycott all kinds of cricket until Islam decides to tender his resignation.
According to ESPNCricinfo, Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, supposed to feature in the first Bangladesh Premier League fixture, haven’t reached the ground as of writing, as the match has been indefinitely delayed. In fact, four first-division games in the Dhaka Cricket League were not held on Thursday.
The CWAB leaders will hold a press conference shortly.
The furore started after Najmul, while reiterating the country’s refusal to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup, rejected concerns surrounding player remuneration should the country withdraw.
He stated that the players would not be compensated, as they have not justified the support so far.
Bangladesh is refusing to tour India, citing security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL 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 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 he called for a restrained handling of the standoff with India, warning that decisions taken today would have an impact 10 years down the line.
The CWAB had stated that the statement from Najmul was “utterly condemnable.”
(With inputs from PTI)
Published on Jan 15, 2026
