Bangladesh launches revolutionary franchise-based all-format domestic competition
Tamim Iqbal (Source: BCB)
Published - 28 Sep 2026, 12:07 PM• Read time - 2 mins
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has launched a new franchise-based competition called Domestic 3 (D3) for Bangladesh's 2026-27 domestic season. The tournament has been conceptualised in a bid to bring ‘the colour back into the country's domestic cricket’ as per the BCB president, Tamim Iqbal.
Six franchises will be participating in D3, which have been bought by six companies. The teams will take part in three tournaments- first-class, List A and T20 formats - each season, with the BCB signing a three-year deal with each franchise.
D3 will kick off with the T20 competition with a tentative start date on December 15, which will be followed by the first-class and one-day tournaments, scheduled in January and May next year, respectively.
In a revolutionary move, the BCB will hold a draft to pick the team management where the franchises will bid for their choice of coaches for the competition. The team management draft will be followed by a players' draft, where each team will have to choose 23 cricketers for the three formats.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Walton), Towhid Hridoy (Fortune Group), Mosaddek Hossain (Acme Laboratories), Mushfiqur Rahim (Seven Rings Cement), Nurul Hasan (ACE Blue Star) and Mohammad Naim (Citizens Bank) have been named the icon players for the six franchises.
Domestic season begins on October 3
The six franchises have been bought by Walton, who’re one of the oldest sponsors of the BCB, while Acme Laboratories, ACE Blue Star, Citizens Bank, Seven Rings Cement and Fortune Group are the other owners. The owners will reportedly pay BDT 2.5 crore (approx. US $203,283) per season, which will include match fees, to the BCB.
The D3 competition will club together the Bangladesh Cricket League's first-class and List-A tournaments, as well as the NCL T20S.