Published : 16 Sep 2026, 08:10 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 08:10 PM
The government is taking back the 4.31 hectares playground in Dhanmondi that Abahani Limited Dhaka has held under a 99-year lease, ending the football club’s control over the ground.
The facility will be renamed Dhanmondi Cricket Field, with the formal handover scheduled for Thursday, the Ministry of Youth and Sports said in a statement.
Following the handover, the field will come under the sports ministry and be opened to the public.
Located in Dhanmondi, the playground has been associated with Abahani since the club’s establishment in 1972.
The club secured a 99-year lease in phases, with most of the land leased in 1998 and the remaining 0.36 hectare in 2010.
An official from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works told bdnews24.com that the government had cancelled the lease and implemented the decision.
The field was once a brick kiln site before being developed into a sports ground. Over the decades, Abahani used it for training and sporting activities, giving rise to its familiar name, “Abahani field”.
Construction of the Sheikh Kamal Sports Complex is also under way on a large section of the ground.
Abahani had planned the complex to include its offices, a swimming pool, gymnasium, and indoor sports facilities.
The club’s adjacent old infrastructure was vandalised and looted after an angry mob stormed its premises following the change of power on Aug 5, 2024. Its trophies were also stolen.
The sports ministry is now preparing a plan for managing the field after taking control. Officials said similar decisions have been made concerning two other fields in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
