Najmul Islam removed but doubts remain on resumption of BPL

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Thursday that they have relieved Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as chairman of the board's Finance Committee with immediate effect.

The decision came hours after national cricketers, under the Cricketer Welfare Association, insisted they would not participate in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) unless Najmul resigned. This forced the postponement of the day's opening match between Noakhali Express and Chattogram Royals.

"We will only play after they meet our demands," said wicketkeeper-batter Mithun at an impromptu press conference. "We wanted closed-door meetings to solve the issues, but they didn't take any initiative. We are still in the same stand. Everything has a limit. He has crossed everything."

Mithun added that an immediate reaction from the board would not immediately resolve the situation. "We want to play the second match if BCB confirms that he will be removed from the position," he said.

BCB stated that Aminul Islam will replace Najmul as finance committee chairman. In a statement, the board said, "The decision has been taken… to ensure the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Board's affairs. Until further notice, the BCB President will assume the role of Acting Chairman of the Finance Committee."

The board reiterated its commitment to player interests and hoped cricketers would "continue to display the highest standards of professionalism" and ensure participation in the BPL.

Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Royals, scheduled for the day's second game, had not yet arrived at the ground at the time of reporting.

Meanwhile, a source confirmed that BCB had asked Cricketer Welfare Association members to submit an official complaint. "The board insisted that they cannot meet our demand at the moment and we said that in that case we are firm in our position," said the source. "BCB said that in that case we should postpone the tournament and we insisted that they can do what they think serves the best interest of cricket."