Dhaka League won’t resume this year: Khaled Mahmud

The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPDCL) had started right before the deadly outbreak of Covid-19 in March this year. But after six matches, the league was postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19.

On Monday, the chairman of the game development committee of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Khaled Mahmud said that the DPDC - also known as the Dhaka League - would not resume again this year.

"I don't think it's possible to resume the league this year. We are already committed to hosting a T20 league after the ongoing BCB President's Cup. If we start it in November, it'll end in late December. So it's not possible to resume Dhaka League this year. I think we may be able to host the Dhaka League after January 10 next year," Khaled Mahmud said.

He said the biggest problem of resuming the Dhaka League is the accommodation of at least 250 people in a bio-secure environment to ensure that the players are not exposed to the virus.

"The biggest question is, where can we host at least 250 people? We have talked to BKSP and that is an option. We have talked about having the tournament in Cox's Bazar as well. We have to take the decision of the clubs too because they are also the stakeholders. However, we are still discussing hosting the Dhaka League," he added.

The West Indies are scheduled to tour Bangladesh early next year to play a full series. The series might conflict with the Dhaka League. But Khaled Mahmud said it won't be a problem.

"The international series will go as planned and domestic cricket will follow its schedule. This is what happens everywhere in the world. However, if the clubs say that they won't play without their main players, who are the members of the national team, we might need to host Dhaka League after the West Indies series," Khaled Mahmud further told the media.

Currently, the BCB President's Cup is the first bit of competitive cricket the country has seen since the Covid-19 break. Along with the national team players, most of the Under-19 World Cup-winning members and the members of the high-performance unit are playing in this event.

After this event, a five-team T20 league will take place. The teams will be announced soon as Khaled Mahmud has confirmed. All the participating players will be accommodated by the BCB in a bio-secure environment. However, the details about the T20 league is yet to be revealed by the board.