BCB, BFF mourn Khaleda Zia’s death; all matches postponed

Sports Desk

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) have announced the suspension of all matches under their jurisdiction following the death of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

The country’s first female prime minister breathed her last at Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital around 6 am on Tuesday. She was 80 years old at the time of her death.

In a press release, the BCB announced the postponement of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 2025-26 matches as a mark of respect.

“In view of the national mourning and in memory of Begum Khaleda Zia, the BCB announces that today’s scheduled BPL T20 matches—Sylhet Titans vs. Chittagong Royals and Dhaka Capitals vs. Rangpur Riders—have been cancelled and will be rescheduled,” the release said.

The Bangladesh Football Federation also expressed deep condolences and confirmed the postponement of all scheduled football matches for the day.

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, all scheduled matches under the Bangladesh Football Federation for today have been postponed. The revised schedule will be announced as soon as possible,” the BFF said in a statement.

The postponed football matches included two Federation Cup matches, three matches in the Women’s Football League, a match in the Dhaka Senior Division League and the final of the UCB-BFF Under-15 Football League.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation has also postponed the scheduled semi-final matches of the National Kabaddi (Men’s and Women’s) Championship.

Other sports bodies have also expressed their condolences over the demise of the iconic political leader and two-time Prime Minister and postponed their sporting events.