| Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League | |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| Administrator: | Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, Bangladesh Cricket Board |
| Cricket Format: | List A |
| First: | 1973–74 2013–14 (as List A competition) |
| Next: | 2024–25 |
| Tournament Format: | Round Robin |
| Participants: | 12 |
| Relegation: | Dhaka First Division Cricket League |
| Levels: | 1 |
| Champions: | Abahani Limited (5th title) |
| Most Successful: | Abahani Limited (5 titles) |
| Tv: | Tsports & GTV BCB YouTube Channel |
| Sponsor: | Walton |
The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, also known as the Dhaka Premier League, is a club List A tournament in Bangladesh.[1] It is run by the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis.
Since its inauguration in 1973–74 the league has been the premier club cricket competition in Bangladesh.[2] Occupying more than 200 players for two months each year, it is widely regarded as the "finishing school" for cricketers in Bangladesh.[3] It gained List A status starting with the 2013–14 tournament, thus superseding the National Cricket League One-Day as Bangladesh's main List A competition.
In the years from 1973–74 to 2011–12, Abahani Limited won the championship 17 times.[4] Other winners were Mohammedan Sporting Club nine times, Biman Bangladesh Airlines five times, Victoria Sporting Club four times, Old DOHS Sports Club twice and Brothers Union once. There was no tournament in 2012–13.
To commemorate the centenary of the birth of the founding father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the 2019–20 season of the league was named "Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2019–20".[5] However, the competition was postponed shortly after starting and later abandoned, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next tournament, in 2021–22, was officially named the "Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2021–2022 sponsored by Walton".
Since the tournament gained List A status, the winners have been:
The competition is played as a round-robin of 12 teams, followed by play-off rounds among the top six teams for the championship and among the lowest three teams to determine relegation.
The 2013–14 competition ran from September to November 2014; the 2014–15 competition ran from November 2014 to January 2015; the 2015–16 competition ran from April to June 2016; the 2016–17 competition ran from April to June 2017; the 2017–18 competition ran from February to April 2018; the 2018–19 competition ran from March to April 2019; the 2019–20 competition began in March 2020, but was almost immediately postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic; the next tournament, 2021–22, ran from March to April 2022, and the 2022–23 tournament ran from March to May 2023.
All matches are played on neutral grounds in the Dhaka area. In 2016–17 only three grounds were used: Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, and Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan No 3 and No 4 Grounds in Savar. The same three grounds were used in 2017–18 and 2018–19, as well as Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
The system of allocating players to clubs varies from season to season, but has elements of lottery.[14] [15] [16] Players frequently change clubs between seasons. Imrul Kayes, for example, played for Victoria Sporting Club in 2006–07 and 2014–15, Mohammedan Sporting Club in 2007–08, 2011–12, 2022–23 and 2023–24, Gazi Tank Cricketers in 2008–09 and 2013–14, Abahani Limited in 2009–10 and 2010–11, Brothers Union in 2015–16, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in 2016–17 and 2021–22, and Gazi Group Cricketers in 2017–18 and 2018–19.[17] Of the 22 players who appeared for Brothers Union in 2013–14,[18] only two were among the 20 Brothers Union players in 2014–15.[19]
From the 1980s to the 2019–20 competition most teams included players from outside Bangladesh.[2] In 2013–14 82 foreign players played in the competition.[20] Beginning with the 2015–16 competition, only one foreign player has been allowed in any playing eleven, although clubs are allowed to have several foreign players on their list;[21] in 2015–16 36 foreign players took part, including 22 Indians and 10 Sri Lankans.[22] Foreign players were excluded from the 2019–20 competition,[23] but were allowed again for the 2021–22 competition, with no more than one foreign player per team per match.[24] There were no foreign players in the 2023–24 tournament, as most of the clubs were unable to afford the cost.[25]
There are 12 teams in each tournament, changing each season with promotion and relegation. The two lowest-finishing teams are demoted to the second division, the Dhaka First Division Cricket League, for the next season, and the top two teams in the second division are promoted.
In the first 10 seasons, 24 teams competed. Their final positions at the end of each tournament are as follows.
| Teams | 2013 –14 | 2014 –15 | 2015 –16 | 2016 –17 | 2017 –18 | 2018 –19 | 2019 –20 | 2021 –22 | 2022 –23 | 2023 –24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abahani | 9 | 4 | W | 3 | W | W | b | 4 | W | W | |
| Agrani Bank | 11 | 11 | |||||||||
| BKSP | 12 | ||||||||||
| Brothers Union | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | b | 9 | 9 | 8 | |
| City Club | 10 | 8 | 12 | ||||||||
| CC School | a | 11 | |||||||||
| Dhaka Leopards | 12 | ||||||||||
| Gazi Group | 8 | W | 6 | 8 | b | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||
| Gazi Tank | W | ||||||||||
| Gazi Tyres | 11 | ||||||||||
| Kala Bagan CA | 6 | 3 | 12 | ||||||||
| Kala Bagan KC | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 12 | ||||||
| Khelaghar SKS | 11 | 10 | 5 | 9 | b | 11 | |||||
| Legends of Rupganj | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | b | 2 | 4 | 7 | ||
| Mohammedan | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | b | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
| Old DOHS | 12 | b | |||||||||
| Partex | 11 | 12 | b | 9 | |||||||
| Prime Bank | 5 | W | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | b | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Prime Doleshwar | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | b | c | |||
| Rupganj Tigers | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||||||
| SJDC | 2 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 4 | b | W | 2 | 5 | |
| Shinepukur | 8 | 7 | b | 8 | 10 | 4 | |||||
| Uttara | 11 | ||||||||||
| Victoria | 8 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
The fastest century is by Brendan Taylor, who reached 100 off 46 balls for Prime Bank against Kalabagan Cricket Academy in 2013–14.[30]
The highest team score is 393 for 4 by Abahani against Prime Doleshwar in 2017–18.[31]