NCL 'Second Eleven' Championship to be Held Across Five Venues

Bangladesh's 2026-27 domestic cricket season is set to kick off with the four-day National Cricket League (NCL). As part of this, the NCL 'Second Eleven' Championship will begin on October 7, with matches taking place at five venues in Dhaka.

Five venues in Dhaka—including BKSP, PKSP, and Bashundhara—have been selected to host the Second Eleven Championship matches.

The primary objective of this championship is to provide more cricketers with the opportunity to play regular competitive matches. In particular, players outside the national team setup, as well as those from the country's first, second, and third divisions, will gain an additional platform to showcase their skills.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Tamim Iqbal announced the launch of the Second Eleven Championship last April, aiming to create a new competitive platform for cricketers who do not feature in the national team or established domestic competitions.

While national team cricketers regularly participate in tournaments like the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), and the National Cricket League (NCL), players in the first, second, and third divisions often have fewer opportunities to play competitive matches outside their respective leagues.

The new Second Eleven Championship is expected to play a significant role in bridging this gap. It will create opportunities to scout more players and discover new talent within the domestic cricket circuit.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has also released the full schedule for the 28th edition of the four-day NCL. Featuring eight divisional teams, this year's NCL will begin on October 3 across eight venues. Following a competition spanning nearly two months, the final round of matches is scheduled for November 17.

Four matches of this year's NCL are slated to be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. In the opening round, Dhaka will face the defending champions, Rangpur.

On the same day, Khulna will play against Barishal at the Khulna Divisional Stadium, while Mymensingh will take on Sylhet at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. And at the Birshreshtha Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram, Chattogram will face Rajshahi.