In a major development to boost participation in domestic cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has increased the salary and match fees for all men’s First-Class cricketers. After revision of the salary, each cricketer is expected to receive at least BDT 40000, up by BDT 10000 from its earlier, lower cap of BDT 30000. The highest pay grade, meanwhile, is BDT 65000, which will be given to Grade A cricketers.

The decision was made during the first meeting of the ad hoc committee, led by the newly appointed Tamim Iqbal. The former cricketer was in a state of shock to know about the underpaid cricketers playing in the domestic circuit back home. As a result, the committee took a prompt decision to increase the scale of salaries and match fees for the athletes.

“There has been little increment in the past three to four years. I think the players were highly underpaid in the previous salary structure. These players work hard, and cricket exists because of their efforts. At the very least, they deserve fair compensation. This may not be ideal, but it is certainly an improvement, considering there are limits to how much can be increased at once,” Tamim stated as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Salary for men’s domestic cricketers

*Applicable from January 2026

The change in match fees relates to the players participating in the indigenous competitions like the Bangladesh Cricket League and National Cricket League.

Match fee for men’s domestic cricketers (for NCL and BCL)

Changes to Women cricketers’ match fees and salary

Match Fees

Salary

The dashing left-handed opener Devdutt Padikkal has revealed that his return to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 season was a significant turning point in his career, helping him rediscover clarity in his approach to the game. 

Padikkal played a vital role at the top of the order for RCB in IPL 2025, scoring 247 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150.61. His contribution was instrumental in his side’s first-ever IPL championship.  

Reflecting on his journey, Padikkal admitted that the 2025 mega auction proved to be a defining phase in shaping his mindset and commitment.

“I feel that auction was probably the turning point of my career in a lot of ways. I was at that stage of my career where I needed to really commit to the type of cricket I want to play, the kind of cricketer I wanted to be. And coming back to RCB paved my path towards the brand of cricket I wanted to play,” Padikkal said in a video shared by RCB.

The left-hander further explained how that opportunity pushed him to focus on self-improvement irrespective of results, and how he changed his approach towards the game.

“When I got that opportunity with RCB, I feel that’s the day I decided that there are a lot of things that I need to do and I needed to really commit to working on those things regardless of what the outcome may be, what the result may be,” he added.

Padikkal had made an immediate impact in his debut IPL season in 2020, scoring 473 runs and winning the Emerging Player award with RCB. However, subsequent stints with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants did not quite go as planned.

Opening up about his challenging phase, Padikkal acknowledged the pressure of expectations and the emotional toll of underperformance.

“I moved to LSG for that one year, and obviously, that didn’t go great either. It was really hard. I felt that everything comes down to money. When a franchise is putting their faith in you in terms of that much money they are paying you, you feel like you are letting them down when you don’t perform. At that point, honestly, I didn’t have any answers either,” he concluded.

The Karnataka batter has started his 2026 season with a bang, scoring 111 runs in just two innings with a stunning strike rate of 201.82 for his side. Meanwhile, the defending champions are on a roll with two wins in two matches so far.

Former Australian cricketer David Warner has been charged with a drink driving offence in Sydney.

Warner, who is currently leading the Karachi Kings in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, has been relieved of his duties and permitted to return home due to the seven-day gap between their games. The Kings played last on April 2, and their next fixture is on April 9.

During this period, Warner, who had returned home to Sydney, was pulled over by local police in the city on the evening of April 5. He was subjected to a breath test for alcohol consumption, which yielded a positive result.

The legal limit for the breath test in Australia is 0.05, and Warner clocked in a 0.104 reading when the test was taken on him. He was then arrested and taken to the Marourba Police Station, and has been charged to appear in court in May.

“About 5:30pm today (Sunday 5 April 2026), police were conducting stationary random breath testing on Malabar Road, Maroubra,” the police statement read.

“A van was seen to allegedly stop short of the testing site and park. Officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command approached the vehicle and subjected the driver – a 39-year-old man – to roadside testing which returned a positive result.

“He was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station where a second test allegedly returned a reading of 0.104. The man was issued with a Field Court Attendance Notice for drive with middle-range PCA to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday 7 May 2026.”

Meanwhile, before the break, Warner’s Karachi Kings were one of the in-form teams in the PSL. Having played three games, they have won all of them, with Warner getting runs with the bat. Against new franchise Rawalpindiz, Warner scored 50 off 36 balls as the Kings chased down 198, with Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan making 74 off just 34 balls.

Warner, who is one of Australia’s most decorated players, has represented the country in over 350 games in all formats. He is a prolific batter, scoring over 18,000 runs with 49 centuries in an international career that has spanned around 15 years. His last appearance came in the Third Test against Pakistan in January 2024, at the SCG, his home ground.

He is also the most prolific overseas batter in the IPL, with 6,565 runs across 16 seasons. He led the Sunrisers Hyderabad to the title in 2016, scoring 848 runs at an average of 60.57 and a strike rate of 151.42.

The Karachi Kings play their next match against the Peshawar Zalmi on April 9.