The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, also known as the Dhaka Premier League, is a club List A tournament in Bangladesh which has been contested annually since the 1973–74 season. It has had List A status since the 2013–14 season.[1] It is run by the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis.[2]
History
Since its inauguration in 1973–74 the league has been the premier club cricket competition in Bangladesh.[3] Occupying more than 200 players for two months each year, it is widely regarded as the "finishing school" for cricketers in Bangladesh.[4] It gained List A status starting with the 2013–14 tournament, thus superseding the National Cricket League One-Day as Bangladesh's main List A competition.
To commemorate the centenary of the birth of the founding father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the 2019–20 season of the league was named "Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2019–20".[6] However, the competition was postponed shortly after starting and later abandoned, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next tournament, in 2021–22, was officially named the "Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2021–2022 sponsored by Walton".[7]
List A winners
Since the tournament gained List A status, the winners have been:
The competition is played as a round-robin of 12 teams, followed by play-off rounds among the top six teams for the championship and among the lowest three teams to determine relegation.
The 2013–14 competition ran from September to November 2014; the 2014–15 competition ran from November 2014 to January 2015; the 2015–16 competition ran from April to June 2016; the 2016–17 competition ran from April to June 2017; the 2017–18 competition ran from February to April 2018; the 2018–19 competition ran from March to April 2019; the 2019–20 competition began in March 2020, but was almost immediately postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic; the next tournament, 2021–22, ran from March to April 2022, and the 2022–23 tournament ran from March to May 2023.
From the 1980s to the 2019–20 competition most teams included players from outside Bangladesh.[3] In 2013–14 82 foreign players played in the competition.[22] Beginning with the 2015–16 competition, only one foreign player has been allowed in any playing eleven, although clubs are allowed to have several foreign players on their list;[23] in 2015–16 36 foreign players took part, including 22 Indians and 10 Sri Lankans.[24] Foreign players were excluded from the 2019–20 competition,[25] but were allowed again for the 2021–22 competition, with no more than one foreign player per team per match.[7] There were no foreign players in the 2023–24 tournament, as most of the clubs were unable to afford the cost.[2]
Teams
There are 12 teams in each tournament, changing each season with promotion and relegation. The two lowest-finishing teams are demoted to the second division, the Dhaka First Division Cricket League, for the next season, and the top two teams in the second division are promoted.
In the first 10 seasons, 24 teams competed. Their final positions at the end of each tournament are as follows.
W = Winners a. Cricket Coaching School played the first six matches in 2013–14 but were demoted immediately after failing to arrive at their seventh match in time to play.[26] b. These teams competed in 2019–20, but owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was abandoned shortly after it began. The pandemic also prevented the 2020–21 tournament from going ahead. c. Prime Doleshwar were scheduled to take part in 2021–22, but withdrew shortly before the tournament began, leaving 11 teams.[27]