Days after Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) reached out to BCCI requesting the revival of bilateral ties, former skipper and current president of BCB Aminul Islam Bulbul was on Tuesday removed by the country’s National Sports Council (NSC), which formed an ad-hoc committee to run the day-to-day affairs till fresh elections are held.
According to sources in the BCB, Bulbul was sacked primarily due to the fiasco during the T20 World Cup 2026 where erstwhile interim government advisor Asif Nazrul literally held the former skipper hostage and didn’t allow the national team to visit India for the global event.
Anti-India hardliner Nazrul’s objective was to shift Bangladesh’s games from Kolkata and Mumbai to Sri Lanka as a mark of protest for the removal of Mustafizur Rahaman from the IPL. During the whole issue, Bulbul was a mere bystander and over the past few days, six directors of the BCB resigned because of him.
Bulbul calls ad-hoc committee illegal
Former Bangladesh skipper and country’s greatest opener Tamim Iqbal has been named as head of the 11-member ad-hoc committee, whose duty would be to hold the cricket board’s election in the next 90 days.
Bulbul, however, termed the dissolution of the elected Board of Directors and formation of the Ad-hoc Committee as Illegal. He remained defiant and asserted that he remains the only legitimate president of the BCB “until the High Court rules otherwise”.
“The purported dissolution of the elected Board of Directors and the imposition of an Ad-hoc Committee led by Mr. Tamim Iqbal is a constitutional coup. This action is illegal, ultra vires the BCB Constitution, and a direct violation of the ICC’s rules on government interference,” he said in a statement later in the day.
“The NSC has no power to dissolve an elected body except under extreme circumstances defined in the NSC Ordinance none of which exist here. The Ad-hoc Committee is a sham entity. We do not recognize its authority, and we call upon the ICC to immediately look into this matter not to allow this illegal body to function.”
He categorically denied allegations of corruption, manipulation, or abuse of power regarding the BCB elections held on October 6, 2025.
He said the elections were conducted transparently by a fully legitimate, three-member Election Commission formed by the BCB on September 6, 2025, with Advocate Mohammod Hossain, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, as Chief Election Commissioner.
“The process adhered strictly to the BCB Constitution. Objections raised including those regarding the 15 clubs and the councillorship of Mr. Tamim Iqbal were duly heard and resolved via quasi judicial hearings on September 24-25, 2025.
“The narrative of ‘election fixing’ peddled by certain former players with political ambitions is a fabrication designed to destabilize the board. The election was held as scheduled on October 6, 2025, consistent with the announcement made by me in early September.”
Probe conducted by the NSC ‘maliciously motivated’
Bulbul also said that the probe conducted by the NSC was “maliciously motivated” and without jurisdiction.
“The NSC has absolutely no authority to investigate a closed, concluded electoral process of an autonomous, self-governing federation like the BCB. Under the ICC’s constitution, member boards must operate free from government interference. The NSC’s probe, initiated by State Minister Aminul Haque, is a politically driven vendetta, not a legal process. The report is quo non judicibus (void for lack of jurisdiction).
“I unequivocally state that the report submitted on April 5, 2026, is a defective, whimsical, and legally untenable document that holds no standing in the eyes of the law or the constitution of the BCB.”
Bulbul called upon the International Cricket Council (ICC) to intervene immediately “to protect the sanctity of our elected board”.
“The Ad-hoc Committee is illegal. The probe report is illegal. The legitimacy of the October 6, 2025 election conducted by a neutral, three-member commission including a Supreme Court advocate and a senior CID officer cannot be questioned by any government body after the fact.”
According to NSC Director Aminul Ehsan, the decision to dissolve the current BCB board and put forth an ad-hoc committee has been intimated to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
While the ICC charter doesn’t allow government or external interference in board matters, it is unlikely that the global body will ban the Bangladesh board as a timeline to hold the elections has already been announced by the NSC.
The 11 member ad-hoc committee comprise Tamim Iqbal (president), Athar Ali Khan, Rashna Imam, Mirza Yasir Abbas, Syed Ibrahim Ahmed, Minhazul Abedin Nannu, Ishrafil Khusroo, Tanzim Choudhury, Salman Ispahani, Rafiqul Islam, Fahim Sinha.
