Bangladesh cricketers quickly turned their attention to local cricket after a disappointing Champions Trophy season.  After getting back home on Friday night, players like Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto didn't waste any time and hit the nets at Mirpur's Academy Ground on Sunday.  This time, though, they're not getting ready for a foreign match—it's all about the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) 2024-25.

The much-anticipated event, which is Bangladesh's most popular 50-over domestic league, starts on Monday.  Most of the best cricket players in the country won't have to miss the start of the season because they have commitments with the national team. This will make the competition even tougher.

Let's look more closely at the DPL 2024-25 and see what you need to know about the teams, style, scheduling, venues, broadcasting, and star players.

Dhaka Premier League 2024-25: All You Need to Know

Participating Teams

As always, 12 teams will compete for the championship. Defending champions Abahani Limited and last season’s runners-up Mohammedan Sporting Club will be among the favorites. The full list of participating teams includes- Abahani Limited, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Shinepukur Cricket Club, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Gazi Group Cricketers, Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club, Brothers Union, Legends of Rupganj, Partex Sporting Club, Dhanmondi Sports Club (formerly Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club), Gulshan Cricket Club (Newly promoted) and Agrani Bank Cricket Club (Newly promoted).

Last season’s relegated teams, Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy and City Club, will now play in the first division.

Tournament Format

Round-Robin Stage: All 12 teams will play against each other once. After 11 matches, the top six teams will qualify for the Super League, while the bottom three will enter the Relegation League.

Super League: The top six teams will play five additional matches to determine the champion.

Relegation League: The bottom three teams will play two matches each, with the bottom two teams getting relegated to the first division.

Total Matches: 84 matches—66 in the round-robin stage, 15 in the Super League, and 3 in the Relegation League.

Match Schedule & Timings

Start Date: March 4, 2025

Match Timing: All games will start at 9:00 AM (BST)

Rounds & Breaks: Each round will be completed in two days, followed by a one-day break.

First Five Rounds: The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) has released the schedule for the first five rounds.

Venues for DPL 2024-25

·         Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur

·         BKSP Ground No. 3 & 4

·         Bashundhara Sports Arena (Backup Venue)

Live Broadcast & Streaming

For the first time in years, DPL matches will be broadcast live on TV.

TV Broadcast: T-Sports will air 28 matches played at Mirpur.

Online Streaming: BKSP matches will be streamed live on T-Sports’ official YouTube channel.

New Features in DPL 2024-25: Umpire’s Call Review System

A major change this year is the introduction of the Umpire’s Call Review System.

On-field umpires can refer close calls (run-outs, stumpings, no-balls, and clear catches) to the third umpire for confirmation.

This will ensure more accurate decisions and reduce controversies.

Sponsorship

Main Sponsor: Bashundhara Group

Powered by: Tilex

Broadcast Rights: T-Sports

Top Players & Their Teams

Mohammedan Sporting Club: Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Taskin Ahmed, Towhid Hridoy, Ebadot Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rony Talukdar.

Abahani Limited: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mosaddek Hossain, Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mithun, Rakibul Hasan, Ripon Mondol, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury.

Legends of Rupganj: Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Jaker Ali Anik, Akbar Ali, Saif Hassan, Afif Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Prime Bank Cricket Club: Naim Sheikh, Khaled Ahmed, Nahidul Islam, Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Irfan Sukkur, Arafat Sunny.

Dhanmondi Sports Club: Nurul Hasan Sohan, Yasir Ali, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Hasan Murad, Maruf Mridha.

Partex Sporting Club: Sabbir Rahman.

Gazi Group Cricketers: Anamul Haque Bijoy, Munim Shahriar, Aminul Islam, Shamsur Rahman, Mukidul Islam.

Agrani Bank Cricket Club: Imrul Kayes, Nayeem Hasan, Shadman Islam, Marshal Ayub, Shuvagata Hom.

Gulshan Cricket Club (New Team): Litton Das, Iftekhar Hossain Ifti

Notable Absence: Shakib Al Hasan initially signed for Legends of Rupganj but later withdrew.