Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the most glamorous and cash-rich tournament in the domestic circuit, gets a fresh start on  November 8 due to inclement weather caused by a depression in the Bay. Incessant rains wrecked havoc on the tournament fixtures, ruling out four games on the first two days since the official start while light to heavy showers were predicted for today’s games.Rains washed out four games on the first two days without a ball being bowled, while the tournament governing committee was forced to cancel two games scheduled for today due to a weather forecast predicting light to heavy shower on the third day. The cancellation of six games on three consecutive days, including Sunday, later forced the BPL governing council to start the tournament anew, thanks to a consensus among the stakeholders. The governing body have taken the decision considering the losses of all the stakeholders of the tournament, said BPL governing council secretary IH Mallick. “Since the tournament is yet to roll on the ground following a consistent rain, we have decided to start it afresh, considering our stakeholders’ immense losses,” he said in a hurried press conference at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium yesterday. The matches between Comilla Victorians vs Rajshahi Kings and Rangpur Riders vs Khulna Titans on the first day was abandoned while yesterday’s match between Chittagong Vikings vs Barisal Bulls and Dhaka Dynamites vs Comilla Victorians were called off due to inclement weather.
“Light to heavy shower is on the weather forecast for the third day also which is why we decided to stop the two matches on the third day. We have reserve days on November 10, and 14 in Dhaka and 20 in Chittagong. We would fit those six matches in these three reserve days,” he added. Mallick said the tournament now starts on November 8 with the scheduled two matches between Barisal Bulls and Dhaka Dynamites in the afternoon, and Comilla Victorians and Chittagong Vikings in the evening. However, the Victorians’ game has been rescheduled and it will be held in the afternoon. The decision has been taken since they are the defending champions of the tournament.
Mallick said the BCB couldn’t take the decision single-handedly to give a fresh start to the tournament unless all the stakeholders including the franchisees reach a concrete consensus. “We have sat with our stakeholders and all the representatives of the franchisees were present. Everybody gave their consent and agreed to start the tournament afresh considering their respective losses,” he added. The representatives of Comilla and Rajshahi, however, said that they would talk to their high ups before giving their final decision. “If Comilla and Rajshahi don’t agree to have a rematch, their points would be shared as it was,” Mallick informed. “We have kept the reserve day basically to give the wicket some rest and arrange the washed out matches but we have to complete the tournament on December 9 since the national team would go to Australia to set up a practice camp in Sydney for the New Zealand tour,” said the BPL governing council secretary.