A former Bangladeshi captain will take over the reins after the previous board was disbanded.
Published April 7, 2026
Bangladesh has dissolved its cricket board and appointed an interim leadership headed by former captain Tamim Iqbal, citing “serious irregularities” in last year’s elections, the National Sports Council said.
Cricket and politics are inextricably linked in Bangladesh, where cricket was hit by the turmoil that gripped the country after the 2024 riots ousted longtime ruler Sheikh Hasina. A new government was elected in February.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
“An independent committee under the National Sports Council has found serious irregularities in the 2025 Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections,” Aminul Ehsan, the government agency’s sports director-general, told reporters on Tuesday.
The commission said there were “substantial irregularities” during the BCB elections in October, which were won by former national team captain Aminul Islam Bulbul.
The country’s first Test centurion, who captained Bangladesh in their first World Cup appearance in 1999, became interim BCB president in March 2025 and was elected unopposed in October for a four-year term.
But Ethan said a letter had been sent to the International Cricket Board “stating that the decision has been taken to dissolve the BCB committee”.
The 11-member special committee, headed by Tamim, who at 39 is Bangladesh cricket’s youngest chief executive, must hold elections within three months, Sports Council officials said.
Tamim scored over 15,000 runs for Bangladesh in a career spanning 15 years and remains the only Bangladeshi to score hundreds in all formats of international cricket. He played his last international match in September 2023 in preparation for that year’s Cricket World Cup.
The decision to dissolve the board came ahead of Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalil Rahman’s “goodwill visit” to India in a bid to rebuild stale ties.
Cricket, a sport beloved by both countries, deepened the rift between the neighbors after Bangladesh refused to take part in the World Cup to be held in India in February, citing security concerns.
Dhaka City made the decision after Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was announced to be leaving Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, sparking online outrage from right-wing Hindus in India.
They launched alleged attacks against Hindu communities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Dhaka Municipality said the scale of the violence was exaggerated.
Bulbul spearheaded Bangladesh’s decision not to play, saying at the time that the “dignity and safety” of the country’s cricketers was the board’s priority.
Bangladesh will host New Zealand on a tour starting April 17 that will feature three one-day internationals, three ‘T20’ players and two Test players.
