Bangladesh Cricket Board launches D3 franchise competition

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the launch of a new franchise-based domestic competition called Domestic 3 (D3) for the 2026-27 season. The competition will integrate first-class, List A, and T20 formats under a single franchise framework. Six companies—Walton, Acme Laboratories, ACE Blue Star, Citizens Bank, Seven Rings Cement, and Fortune Group—have acquired franchises through three-year agreements, with each owner reportedly paying approximately BDT 2.5 crore per season.

Each franchise has been assigned an icon player, including Mehidy Hasan Miraz for Walton, Towhid Hridoy for Fortune Group, and Mushfiqur Rahim for Seven Rings Cement. The BCB will hold a team management draft this week and a players' draft next month to finalize the 23-player rosters for each team.

At the inauguration of the Third Division Qualifying Cricket League, all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz expressed support for the return of qualifying competitions. He noted that such platforms allow young players from various regions of Bangladesh to showcase their talent to national selectors, recalling his own professional start through the Dhaka league qualifiers.