Brothers Cricketers Boycott Match over Unpaid Wages
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Brothers Union players boycotted their Dhaka Premier League match after failing to receive their dues, resulting in a walkover victory for Agrani Bank. With this result, Brothers Union’s relegation was confirmed.
At BKSP Ground No. 4 on Friday, the match effectively collapsed due to unpaid salaries. Despite umpires calling the players and the match referee allowing time, the Brothers Union captain did not appear at the toss. While the opposing team completed their warm-up, Brothers Union players did not even take part in theirs.
As a result, Agrani Bank were awarded a walkover victory. With this defeat, Brothers Union have been relegated from the Premier League. After nine matches, they managed only one win and eight losses, sealing their drop to the First Division next season.
The players’ frustration stems from unpaid dues from the club management. Speaking to Agamir Somoy, a cricketer from the team said that some players have received only 20% of their contracted fees, while many others received even less around 13 to 15%.
Thursday was the deadline for payment, but since no money was received, the players decided to boycott today’s match. This is not the first time Brothers Union has faced salary issues; disputes over payments have occurred almost every season, but this time it escalated into a full match boycott.
BCB ad hoc committee chairman Tamim Iqbal had earlier ensured arrangements for the Dhaka Premier League to proceed smoothly and urged club owners to ensure full payment of players’ salaries. However, the issue of unpaid wages has resurfaced in the league once again.
