Bangladesh's local cricketers had long been seeking an opportunity to showcase and develop their Twenty20 skills in a tournament beyond the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the country's premier franchise T20 league. That "desire" is set to become a reality as the inaugural edition of the National Cricket League (NCL) T20 tournament kicks off today in Sylhet.

Last year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operations department initiated the plan, holding several meetings between the tournament committee, selectors, and operations. After much deliberation, the board identified a window for the tournament, which is exclusively for local players.

It is hoped that the NCL T20 will help local talents hit their stride early and improve their performance in the BPL.

"The local players had been desiring this for a long time. We know we have a busy international schedule, but with some effort, it wasn't difficult to find room for this tournament," a BCB official told The Daily Star.

The eight-team tournament will be held in Sylhet, with the final scheduled for December 24. In today's morning fixtures, both beginning at 9:30 am, Dhaka Division will play Sylhet Division at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS), while Dhaka Metro will face Barishal Division at the Sylhet Outer Stadium (SOS). Later in the day, Rangpur will take on Chattogram at SICS at 1:30am, after Khulna and Rajshahi start competing at 1:00 pm at SOS.

The eight team captains gathered yesterday for a photoshoot at SICS. Rangpur skipper Akbar Ali spoke about the players' anticipation for the tournament.

"We have been hoping for this tournament for quite some time, especially a T20 event that isn't the BPL and is exclusively for local players. It's a great initiative, and I'm optimistic it will be competitive and help players prepare for the BPL," Akbar told reporters on Tuesday.

Photo: Sheikh Nasir

Although the national team players are unavailable due to their engagement in the ongoing white-ball series in the West Indies, national skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is set to play for Rajshahi, while former ODI captain Tamim Iqbal will represent Chattogram.

"We want to show our worth on the field," said Chattogram captain Yasir Ali. "Having a senior player like Tamim Iqbal will boost our side, and I'm sure he'll give his best," he added.

HIGHLIGHTS

Opening fixtures: Dhaka vs Sylhet and Dhaka Metro vs Barishal (9:30 am), Rangpur vs Chattogram (1:30 pm), Khulna vs Rajshahi (1:00 pm).

Prize money: Tk 20 lakh for the tournament winners.

Format: Four matches per day in a round-robin league format until December 19.

Playoff schedule: Qualifiers and eliminators on December 21 and 22; final on December 24 at SICS.