The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has introduced a new franchise-based domestic competition named Domestic 3 (D3) for the 2026-27 cricket season. This venture aims to invigorate Bangladesh’s domestic cricket scene, featuring six franchises participating across three formats: first-class, List A, and T20.
The tournament is set to launch with a T20 series expected to begin on 15th December, followed by first-class and one-day competitions planned for January and May next year. BCB President Tamim Iqbal has emphasized that this move seeks to “bring the colour back into the country’s domestic cricket.”
The franchise owners include well-known entities such as Walton, which has been a long-standing sponsor of the BCB, along with Acme Laboratories, ACE Blue Star, Citizens Bank, Seven Rings Cement, and Fortune Group. Each team owner will contribute approximately BDT 2.5 crore (around US $203,283) per season. This sum covers match fees among other expenses.
A draft is slated for later this week to select team management, where franchise owners can bid for preferred coaches. Following that, a player’s draft next month will see each franchise form a squad of 23 players across all formats.
The BCB has announced the icon players for each franchise: 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). These players are expected to bring leadership and captivation to the tournament.
D3 aims to combine existing competitions from the Bangladesh Cricket League’s first-class and List A formats, and the National Cricket League (NCL) T20s into a cohesive, franchise-based spectacle. The ongoing NCL first-class competition, a regional tournament with eight divisions, kicks off Bangladesh’s domestic season on 3rd October.
