The decision to start the league with the Twenty20 version means that the national stars will hardly be available for six matches in the league's second part -- the 50-overs league which starts on January 10 -- due to their tour of Zimbabwe.

The Tigers leave for a four-match one-day series in the southern African nation on January 31, a tour which the CCDM had no knowledge about although the BCB general secretary was quoted recently that the board had got the offer nearly six months earlier.

According to the fixture released by the CCDM yesterday, the 11-round first leg will end on February 13. The national team are due to return from Zimbabwe on February 12 and start preparation for the World Cup in the West Indies immediately. It is expected that the cricketers would not be allowed to play in the league during the camp.

On top of that, if the political situation worsens, the Tigers who can play till the sixth round (January 29) before setting off for Africa, could be restricted to less than six matches.

The fixture itself seemed callously done and it does not follow the conventional method in all respects. While two-time defending champions Old DOHS, who play bottom-team Young Pegasus in the opening round and reverse the order according to tradition, it was not the same for other teams.

Last year's eight-placed Abahani were due to face fourth-placed finisher and this year's Twenty20 champions Mohammedan in the second round but the archrivals are pitted against each other in the seventh round, on January 31, without their key players.

Ironically, all of Mohammedan's big matches barring last year's runners-up Victoria -- not a force this time -- will be played in the latter half of the first leg.

Abahani could consider themselves lucky as they will draw three big names, Biman, Victoria and DOHS inside the first five rounds. The Abahani-DOHS match is slated for January 25.

Three matches will be played each day with a day's gap after one full round while the league will see a four-day gap after the fourth round due to the general elections. The CCDM will use four venues, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur (SBNS), Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium (DCS), BKSP and Fatullah Cricket Stadium (FCS) in the first four rounds.

FIRST ROUND FIXTURES

JANUARY 10: Old DOHS v Young Pegasus (SBNS), Sonargaon v Partex (FCS), Victoria v Indira Road (BKSP)

JANUARY 11: Mohammedan v Kalabagan (FCS), Biman v Abahani (BKSP), Brothers v City Club (DCS)