BPL Matches Postponed After Former PM Khaleda Zia's Death at 80

The announcement by BCB was just a couple of hours before Tuesday's first match between Sylhet Titans and Chattogram Royals at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

The second match of the day, scheduled for the evening, was to be held between the Dhaka Capitals and the Rangpur Riders at the same stadium.

"The BCB recalls with gratitude her [Zia's] constant blessings and good wishes for the progress of cricket in this country," a BCB statement said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"During her tenure as Prime Minister, she provided outstanding support for the development of cricket in Bangladesh, significantly contributing to improvements in cricket infrastructure and the sport's growth nationwide. Her vision and encouragement helped pave the way for many of the advancements the game enjoys today," it added.

"In respect of the nation's mourning and in honour of Begum Khaleda Zia's legacy, the BCB announces that today's scheduled Bangladesh Premier League matches have been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Further details on the revised fixtures will be communicated in due course," it read.

Begum Khaleda Zia died in the early morning today while she was undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka at the age of 80.

According to a BNP statement on Facebook, Zia died at around 6 am (local time), shortly after the Fajr prayer. "Khaleda Zia passed away at around 6:00 am, just after Fajr prayer," the BNP statement read.

"We pray for the eternal peace of her soul and ask everyone to pray for her departed soul," it added.

Zia was admitted to the capital Dhaka's Evercare Hospital on November 23 with a lung infection. The former Prime Minister has been suffering from various physical ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications, for a long time, and earlier this month, she was sent to London for advanced medical treatment for her ailments.

This morning, a large crowd gathered outside the hospital even as Begum Zia's son and Acting Chairman of the BNP, Tarique Rahman, arrived to pay his respects to his late mother.

- ANI