In an unprecedented step towards restructuring domestic cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has introduced a formal management draft to appoint coaching staff and support personnel for the newly conceived ‘D Three Trophy’. Held on Tuesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium press conference room in Mirpur, the draft saw all six participating franchises select their tactical and medical backroom teams from an official pool provided by the governing body.

The D Three Trophy represents an ambitious overhaul of Bangladesh’s domestic ecosystem. Under this single, unified structure, six core franchises will compete against each other across all three formats of the game: T20, 50-over List A, and multi-day red-ball cricket. Each franchise squad will comprise 23 players, with the official player draft scheduled for 26 October. On-field proceedings will commence on 15 December with the T20 leg, followed by four-day matches in January and the 50-over tournament in May. In total, the competition will feature 42 matches—19 T20s, 16 List A fixtures, and seven red-ball games.

Every franchise successfully filled six key operational roles during the management draft: a head coach, two assistant coaches, a physiotherapist, a trainer, and a performance analyst. Franchise management focused heavily on experienced domestic mentors and national development coaches to guide their rosters.

The six head coaching positions were finalized across the franchises:

• ACE Bluestars: Sohel Islam

• ACME: Rajin Saleh

• Citizens Bank: Mizanur Rahman Babul

• Fortune Group: Mohammad Salahuddin

• Seven Rings Cement: Talha Jubair

• Walton: Abdur Razzak

The appointment of active figures within the national team setup generated significant attention throughout the proceedings. Current national team batting coach Mohammad Ashraful joins Fortune Group as an assistant coach under head coach Mohammad Salahuddin. National pace bowling coach Talha Jubair takes charge as head coach at Seven Rings Cement, supported by Under-19 national coach Hannan Sarkar as assistant.

This crossover sparked immediate discussions regarding potential scheduling conflicts between international duties and domestic commitments. Addressing these operational queries, BCB Tournament Committee Chairman Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir clarified that national duties will take precedence. National coaches will only officiate in the D Three Trophy when free from international assignments, with franchises permitted to appoint temporary replacements whenever necessary.

Alongside the coaching setup, all six franchises have locked in their icon players:

• Fortune Group: Towhid Hridoy

• ACE Bluestars: Nurul Hasan Sohan

• Citizens Bank: Mohammad Naim Sheikh

• Walton: Mehidy Hasan Miraz

• ACME: Mosaddek Hossain Saikat

• Seven Rings Cement: Mushfiqur Rahim

With the management panels established and the icon players secured, attention now shifts to the 26 October player draft. The upcoming auction will finalize the 23-man squads for each team, offering a clearer picture of how balanced these franchises will look when the action kicks off in December.