Chaos erupts at BPL ticket counters as fans resort to vandalism and arson

Frustration over ticket availability for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) reached boiling point on 2 January, leading to scenes of chaos and violence outside the Mirpur Stadium.

Fans, unable to secure tickets despite long waits, vandalised ticket counters and set one on fire, forcing authorities to intervene.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Mirpur Division Deputy Commissioner Maksuder Rahman confirmed the matter to The Business Standard and said, "Some agitated people who were waiting for BPL tickets vandalised a boot after being denied tickets and an unwanted situation arose."

"The situation is quite okay now, additional forces have been deployed including Army and RAB personnel," he added.

The trouble began early in the day when large crowds gathered at Mirpur's swimming complex, where the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had arranged for ticket distribution. By 11:30 am, agitation grew as fans realised tickets were unavailable at the site. What started as frustrated shouts soon escalated into physical action, with barricades being pushed and eventually broken.

Enraged fans stormed the area, damaging booths in their wake. The situation took a darker turn when they set a ticket counter ablaze. Firefighters arrived promptly to extinguish the flames, while law enforcement moved in to secure the area and restore order.

Eyewitnesses described an initially orderly queue, which devolved into chaos when word spread that no tickets were available. Many pointed to poor ticket distribution arrangements as the root cause. The BCB had primarily offered tickets online and through select Madhumati Bank branches, but a temporary arrangement for counter sales had been made on 31 December due to the bank holiday.

This is not the first time BPL ticketing issues have led to unrest. Similar incidents occurred on the tournament's opening day, highlighting a recurring problem with accessibility and organisation. The BCB has yet to issue an official statement on the latest incident, but calls are mounting for an overhaul of the ticketing process to prevent further disruptions.