CHATTOGRAM, Jan 15, 2025 (BSS) - The cricket fans from Chattogram appreciated the concept of new look Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which kicked off with the youth festival.

The goal of the festival is to involve people more inclusive way to make BPL a brand.

“The youth festival is a platform to uphold our culture and heritage. And at the same time, it is the platform to how we want to see the new Bangladesh,” Azizul Islam, a resident from Chattogram’s Kazir Dewri area told BSS today.

There were concerts and other programmes to mark the start of the BPL and we were present in those events, he said adding, “We saw a large number of people came to enjoy the programme.”

Islam who came to buy BPL ticket from the MA Aziz Stadium ticket country, a ticket booth that is adjacent to his home said he has never seen such organized way of selling tickets in the past.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) this time introduced online ticketing system, which eased the way to buy tickets. Since most of the people bought ticket from online, there was no unnecessary pressure in the ticket booth but that doesn’t mean the passion was not palpable, said Islam.

“The Chattogram people are generally sports lover and yet we have got little number of matches at our venues. But the BPL was being held every in this city,” he added.

“However I am used to see a long queue in the ticket booth every time. This time everything looked calm and serene but that doesn’t mean the passion was not there. In fact ever since the concerts and other programmes were held, people were talking about BPL. The passion this time in fact reached to an uncanny degree.”

It is possibly because that BCB this time took a calculative decision to mark the kick-start of it through various programmes. The youth festival is the other platform to create the frenzy. So in this sense, it is completely a new BPL.

However people also believe the BPL is a good platform to spread the goal of July mass uprising throughout the country.

“During the July uprising the Chattogram’s student and people played an important role to oust the autocratic government. But the movement is yet to be ended as we want to build a new Bangladesh, a discrimination-free country,” said Sumon Raihan, a student of Chattogram’s Premier University.

“We came to know that Dr Professor Muhammad Yunus, our honorable Chief Adviser himself gave a roadmap to make the BPL a brand, through which we can uphold the July uprising and spread it to the throughout the country and outside of the country. We also believe BPL can make it.”

The BCB introduced Abu Sayed stand in the Chattogram also like the Dhaka and Sylhet venue. There is also Mugdho Corner to distribute free water for the spectators.

Sayed was killed in police firing during student-led mass movement on July 16. His martyrdom sparked the movement and he became the symbol of the July-August uprising, that toppled autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina.

Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho was shot dead on July 18 while distributing free water for the student protestors.

The BCB director Najmul Abedin Fahim earlier said Abu Sayed Stand and Mugdho Corner are the symbol of July uprising. Through those two martyrs, they actually remembered all of the people who were martyred during the movement.

“General people and students from Chattogram also were martyred. Not in Chattogram, in every district, you will find the people who were martyred. It is good initiative to remember all of those martyrs through those Sayed and Mugdho but at the same time, we want more comprehensive initiative to include the Chattogram’s martyrs name in future,” said Abid Mohammad Zaman, a student of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology.