Tamim hints at bypassing DPL bylaws to resolve Brothers Union crisis

Brothers Union's Dhaka Premier League (DPL) status could yet be up for discussion despite tournament bylaws dictating relegation following their boycott of Friday's match against Agrani Bank Cricket Club at BKSP.

Agrani Bank were awarded a walkover after Brothers Union players refused to take the field in protest over unpaid wages. The club, already rooted to the bottom of the 12-team table with just two points, now faces relegation as a result of the walkover, according to officials of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM).

Speaking at a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) pre-election event on Friday night, BCB ad hoc committee president Tamim Iqbal said he would meet both the players and club officials in an attempt to find an amicable solution.

"Before this event started, I talked to Brothers Union officials and I will try to sit with both parties, the club and the players, and try to find a solution. We will all sit together and discuss what can be done within the rules and regulations," Tamim said.

CCDM officials confirmed on Friday that tournament bylaws require a team that boycotts a match to be relegated. However, Tamim suggested the board could consider exceptional measures if deemed necessary for the greater good of Bangladesh cricket.

"In some instances, the board has the ability for the betterment of Bangladesh cricket. If some decisions need to be taken outside the bylaws, and if the board agrees, then we will try to do that. Because at the end of the day, everyone wants cricket to take place and it's been going well. I believe that if both parties sit together and discuss, a good outcome can come of it," Tamim told reporters.

The BCB elections are set to take place on June 7. Addressing club councillors and the media during the pre-election programme, Tamim also called for stability in Bangladesh cricket following frequent changes in the board's leadership in recent years.

"The kind of tsunami Bangladesh cricket has been going through for the last two years, this has to stop," he said.

"It has to stop. It has to stop for Bangladesh cricket. It is not for me, it is not for anybody else. It has to stop somehow. I feel that for 18 crore people in Bangladesh, cricket is a matter of immense pride and emotion. We have to get out of this tsunami."

Tamim expressed hope that the upcoming election would help bring greater stability to the country's cricket administration.

"I hope through this election, we will be able to achieve this. Whoever is elected, I am sure there will be criticism and lots of ifs and buts. But I believe if your intention is good, and you do good work, you and I will all be able to tackle these things," he said.