BKSP ground flooded with water; Mirpur to host DPL matches till June 5

The Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League has already faced many obstacles after just the first round of matches being played.  

All six matches on Tuesday were postponed due to inclement weather.  

On Tuesday morning, the organising committee - CCDM - informed the media that the event had been postponed for two days and the game will start from the second round.  

But there will be a change of grounds due to the weather.

BKSP will not be used as a venue till June 5 due to its drainage facilities not being sufficient enough to deal with the waterlogging from the downpour.  

For the next four days, three matches will be played every day at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. 

CCDM member secretary Ali Hossain told The Business Standard that the decision was taken due to waterlogging in the BKSP ground due to the heavy rain.

The BCB started the tournament by planning two matches in a day at Mirpur and four matches on the two grounds at BKSP. 

This is how the first round was held.  

But the BKSP field was submerged due to heavy rains and the organisers do not want to take any risk in the next few days.  

CCDM plans to take the tournament forward by organising three matches at Mirpur every day.  A total of 12 matches, i.e. two rounds, will be played in the next four days.

The first match will begin at 9 am, the second match at 1:30 pm and the last match will be day/night, starting at 6 pm.  

After seeing how the weather conditions evolve in the next few days, a decision will be taken to organise the latter matches in BKSP.  

The previous schedule had a one-day break between each round, but not in the next four days.

Ali Hossain said, "It is not possible to organize the match in BKSP due to rain.  The field is underwater.  That is why there was no match today.  So we decided to hold the matches only in Mirpur. Until June 5, three matches will be held in Mirpur every day. The next decision will depend on understanding the weather conditions."'

Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) Chairman Kazi Inam Ahmed: "The scheduled matches of the Bangabandhu DPL T20 Cricket League 2019-20 was halted today due to heavy rain which caused water logging at the two venues of BKSP. In conversation with the clubs and the BCB Management, the CCCM has decided to shift fixtures at BKSP scheduled on June 01, 03 to the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur which will hold three matches a day for the next four days (02-05 June). We take this opportunity to thank the clubs and  the cricketers for their cooperation."

The Premier League was suspended last year due to the first wave of the coronavirus.  

After a long break, the event resumed on May 31.  

Although the event is scheduled for the 2019-20 season of the Premier League, it is being played in a different format this time.  

For the first time, the Dhaka Premier League is happening in T20 format, especially with the upcoming T20 World Cup later this year in mind.