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The 28th edition of the National Cricket League (NCL) will kick off Bangladesh’s 2026-27 domestic cricket season on October 3, with the seven-round first-class competition scheduled to conclude on November 17.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has released the full schedule for the tournament, which will feature eight divisional teams — Sylhet, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Rangpur, Khulna, Chattogram, Rajshahi and Barishal.
Under the round-robin format, each team will play every other team, with 28 four-day matches to be played in total.
Players will report to their respective team hotels at the designated venues on October 1 and take part in an official practice session the following day.
The opening round will begin on October 3, with Mymensingh taking on Sylhet at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Dhaka will face Rangpur at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, while Khulna will meet Barishal at Khulna Divisional Stadium. Chattogram will host Rajshahi in the other opening-round fixture.
The first round will run from October 3 to 6, followed by the second round from October 10 to 13, the third from October 17 to 20 and the fourth from October 24 to 27.
The fifth round is scheduled for October 31 to November 3, the sixth from November 7 to 10 and the seventh and final round from November 14 to 17.
The schedule provides a three-day break between rounds to allow players time for rest, travel and preparation.
The new NCL season will also draw attention because of an initiative to increase payments for first-class cricketers.
Under the BCB’s proposed new remuneration structure, match fees for first-class players are set to increase to Tk 100,000 per match.
If implemented as planned, the revised payment structure will come into effect from the 28th edition of the NCL, providing players with a maximum match fee of Tk 100,000.