The Sylhet Division Cricket Team is a Bangladeshi first-class team representing Sylhet Division, one of the country's eight administrative regions. The team competes in the National Cricket League (NCL) and the National Cricket League Twenty20 (NCL T20), and previously participated in the now-defunct National Cricket League One-Day tournament.

During the NCL T20 2009–10 season, the team adopted the name Sultans of Sylhet and played in yellow and blue colors. However, with the tournament's restart after long break in 2024, the team decided to drop the "Sultans of Sylhet" name and continue competing under their original divisional name.

Sylhet is also represented by the Sylhet Strikers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Sylhet’s home ground, the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, holds 13,500 spectators and is a landmark of the city. In 2024, Sylhet ended their long wait for silverware by winning their first-ever National Cricket League (NCL) title, the country’s top First-Class competition. This historic victory marked the end of a trophy drought that stretched all the way back to their inaugural National One-Day League win in 2001–02.

History Sylhet Division has a long and storied history in cricket, dating back to the time when it was part of British India. The first-ever recorded cricket match in the Indian subcontinent was played in Sylhet, History of Cricket in Sylhet marking the region's early involvement in the sport.

Despite its historical significance, the Sylhet Division cricket team struggled in Bangladesh's First-Class (FC) competitions, National Cricket League (NCL), for much of its existence. The team faced difficulties in competing at the highest level and was often near the bottom of the standings. However, Sylhet achieved notable success in limited-overs formats, notably winning the inaugural One Day league in 2001. Afterward, the team performed moderately well before the league was eventually defunct.

In the late 2000s, the team transitioned to the T20 format, playing their first NCL T20 under the name "Sultan of Sylhet." With their mediocre performance, Sylhet continued to feature in the NCL, often finishing at or near the bottom of the standings until the 2019-20 season.

A turning point came with the emergence of a powerful pace bowling attack, featuring the likes of Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Tanzim Sakib, and veteran Abu Jayed. This bowling quartet, regarded as the best in the country’s history, played a pivotal role in Sylhet's revival. The 2019-20 season saw Sylhet finish first in NCL Tier 2, securing promotion to Tier 1 for the first time in the team’s history, signaling the start of a new era.

In the 2021-22 season, following the COVID-19 hiatus, Sylhet continued its ascent, finishing third in the standings. Over the next two seasons, the team proved to be one of the most competitive in the league, claiming runners-up positions in both. These performances highlighted the team's transformation into a formidable force in domestic cricket.

Sylhet's crowning achievement came in the 2024-25 season, when the team ended a 24-year trophy drought by winning their first-ever NCL title. This victory, along with their earlier ODI league win in 2001, marked the team’s second major domestic title. The success was largely driven by the team's exceptional pace attack, with Khaled, Ebadot, Tanzim Sakib, Rezaur, and Rahi forming a dominant and highly effective bowling unit. Their performances were so impressive that other teams sought to borrow their pacers for domestic competitions.

Team captain Amite Hasan was a contributor to Sylhet. As the league's top scorer in the 2024-25 season, he was part of the team's win. While batting depth is noted as an area of concern, the pace attack has led to Sylhet winning more games in domestic cricket.

Sylhet has also produced several notable players who have represented Bangladesh on the international stage. In the early 2000s, players such as Alok Kapali, Rajin Saleh, Enamul Haque Jr., Tapolas Baishya, and Najmul Hossain were key members of the Bangladesh national team, showcasing the region's cricketing talent. However, after 2007-08, the production of top-tier cricketers from Sylhet declined, resulting in a period of stagnation.

The recent emergence of Zakir Hasan, who has established himself in the Bangladesh Test team, along with Jaker Ali, Tanzim Sakib, and Nasum Ahmed, has rejuvenated the region’s cricketing reputation. With several current players regularly featuring for Bangladesh, Sylhet continues to make its mark on the national cricket scene.

From a period of struggle to a period of resurgence, the history of the Sylhet Division Cricket Team reflects the development of a competitive side, particularly with the emergence of a strong pace attack. The team’s recent success in winning the NCL title in the 2024-25 season represents a significant milestone in the region's cricketing history.

Honours National Cricket League (1) – 2024–25 One-Day Cricket League (1) – 2001–02

Seasons Season NCL One-Day NCL T20 1999-2000 2nd 2000-01 7th 2001-02 6th 1st 2002-03 6th 3rd 2003-04 2nd 4th 2004-05 5th 4th 2005-06 5th 4th 2006-07 5th 3rd 2007-08 6th 4th 2008-09 6th 6th 2009-10 6th not held 2nd 2010-11 3rd 6th 2011-12 3rd 2012-13 5th 2013-14 5th 2014-15 6th 2015-16 4th in Tier 2 (8th) 2016-17 3rd in Tier 2 (7th) 2017-18 2d in Tier 2 (6th) 2018-19 4th in Tier 2 (8th) 2019-20 1st in Tier 2 (5th) 2020-21 Tournament Cancelled due to Covid 2021-22 3rd in Tier 1(3rd) 2022-23 Runners-up 2023-24 Runners-up 2024-25 Champions

Current squad Sylhet Division Cricket Team Player Age Batting Bowling Role Zakir Hasan 24y 249d Left-handed N/A Wicketkeeper Batter Asadulla Al Galib 23y 286d Right-handed Right-arm Offbreak Batter Abu Jayed 29y 67d Right-handed Right-arm Fast-medium Bowler Nabil Samad 35y 364d Left-handed Slow Left-arm Orthodox Bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib 19y 353d Right-handed Right-arm Fast-medium Bowler Abu Bakkar 20y 234d Right-handed Right-arm Offbreak Bowler Amite Hasan (C) 21y 23d Right-handed N/A Batter Imtiaz Hossain 37y 226d Right-handed Right-arm Offbreak Batter Mizanur Rahman Sayem 26y 288d Right-handed N/A Batter Mohiuddin Tareq 18y 328d Right-handed Right-arm Medium Bowler Naeem Ahmed 24y 151d Right-handed Right-arm Offbreak Bowler Rahatul Ferdous 27y 3d Left-handed Slow Left-arm Orthodox Bowler Shahanur Rahman 26y 166d Right-handed Right-arm Offbreak Bowler Tawfique Khan 31y 118d Right-handed Legbreak Googly Bowler

Records Most Runs in First-class Matches Most Runs in First-class Matches - Sylhet Division Player Span Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 0 4s 6s Imtiaz Hossain 2002–2023 142 255 9 6890 154 28.00 13428 51.31 11 27 24 831 80 Alok Kapali 2002–2021 108 178 7 6109 211* 35.72 11887 51.39 13 24 6 695 60 Rajin Saleh 2002–2018 96 162 12 5957 201* 39.71 15235 39.10 14 34 16 665 55 Golam Mabud 2002–2012 76 139 10 3715 123 28.79 8549 43.45 4 22 12 463 26 Golam Rahman 2003–2012 64 117 5 3274 160 29.23 7558 43.31 5 16 9 408 17 Zakir Hasan 2015–2023 41 68 1 2809 213 41.92 5362 52.38 7 13 4 293 18

Notable players The following is a list of players who have played for both Sylhet and Bangladesh.

Abul Hasan Alok Kapali Aminul Islam Bulbul Anisur Rahman Athar Ali Khan Dhiman Ghosh Enamul Haque Farhad Reza Faruk Ahmed Golam Faruq Hasibul Hossain Mashrafe Mortaza Mohammad Rafique Moniruzzaman Mosharrof Hossain Mushfiqur Rahim Nadif Chowdhury Nasir Ahmed Nazmul Hossain Nazmus Sadat Niamur Rashid Rajin Saleh Robiul Islam Tapash Baisya

Sylhet players who have played for countries other than Bangladesh: Indika de Saram Faisal Iqbal Kaushalya Weeraratne

References

External links CricInfo team profile Sylhet Division at CricketArchive