, Feb. 22 -- The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has implemented stringent age and residency regulations for the upcoming 64-team National Cricket Championship to boost competitiveness, though the tournament's eve was marred by a road accident involving the Chandpur district team.

Beginning Sunday, the two-tier 50-over competition will restrict teams from fielding more than four players over the age of 30, a move designed to eliminate the casual participation of much older individuals and foster a stronger Under-23 development pipeline.

And, squads are now limited to hiring a maximum of three players from outside their home district. This officially reverses a previous practice that sometimes saw entire squads formed by non-local cricket...