DCCOA declares boycott of all domestic competitions over cricket board election

A group of leading cricket clubs announced Wednesday a boycott of all domestic competitions, alleging widespread irregularities and government interference during the recent election of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), report agencies.
The Dhaka Club Cricket Organisers Association ( DCCOA) also said the election of new BCB president Aminul Islam during Monday's vote was "illegal, flawed and manipulated".
The 57-year-old, better known as Bulbul, captained Bangladesh in their first World Cup appearance in 1999.
"We do not recognise this election," said Masuduzzaman, councillor of Mohammedan Sporting Club, at a press briefing in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, former Bangladesh captain, who recently pulled himself out of the election of the BCB, said he would have won the election if only he had taken part.
He said he didn't take part in the election because it wasn't a real contest.
"Even if those 15 clubs were there or not, do you think people wouldn't have voted for me? I never needed to chase anyone or make deals. I just wanted a clean election," Tamim said in a press conference called by the Dhaka Club Cricket Organisers Association Aminul Haque, a BNP leader, said the sports adviser, Asif Mahmud, intimidated the candidates to do what he wanted, an allegation that the sports adviser never addressed.
Before the election, a court had briefly barred 15 newly promoted third-division clubs from voting, then reversed that order just before polling day.
By Monday night, Aminul Islam was declared president again, unopposed. Two vice presidents, Shakhawat Hossain and Faruk Ahmed, were also elected without a contest.
To Tamim and many organisers, it felt like a performance, not an election.
The organisers' group, which includes some of Dhaka's biggest clubs, has now said they'll boycott all league and divisional cricket until further notice.
"We don't accept an illegitimate president," Mohammedan Sporting Club councillor Masuduzzaman said flatly. "There's nothing more to discuss."
Tamim nodded to that frustration and went after the voting system, too.
"Why e-voting when everyone's in the room?" he asked. "Thirty-four out of forty-three votes came electronically. Even the candidates had to vote that way. What's the need for that?"
The standoff leaves domestic cricket hanging.
Tamim said he knows the boycott will hurt players - "of course it will," he admitted - but he put the blame squarely elsewhere.
"The organisers should've thought about that before holding an election like this," he said.
"Cricketers deserve better. They deserve fairness, not deals made behind closed doors."
Other councillors, including Rafiqul Islam Babu and SM Abdullah Al Fuad Redwan, joined the boycott, which they said would extend beyond Dhaka's leagues to district-level tournaments.
"We will not participate in any kind of league or district cricket from now on," Masuduzzaman said, claiming support from 38 clubs, with more expected to join.
Aminul, who secured a second term as BCB president, said his "doors were open for dialogue" with
dissenting clubs.
Cricket and politics go hand-in-hand in Bangladesh and the sport has been hit by the turmoil that has wracked the country.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024, fleeing by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.
Faruque Ahmed initially took up the post as BCB president after the resignation of Nazmul Hassan, a close ally of Hasina, but it was later handed to Aminul.