Barishal Division cricketer Fazle Mahmud suffered a heatstroke during the opening day of the 27th National Cricket League 2025-26 at the Khulna Divisional Stadium on Saturday.

The incident occurred midway through the first session, shortly after the 19th over. Fazle was fielding under intense heat and humidity when he suddenly dropped to the ground. Seeing the alarming situation, opposition batter Soumya Sarkar rushed from the pitch to assist him.

Later, he was taken off the field on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance, but as he was feeling better, he was brought back to the dressing room instead of being taken to the hospital.

"We told him to go to the nearby hospital but he insists that he is now feeling better. We are continuously monitoring his situation at the dressing room," match referee Akteruzzaman told The Daily Star on Saturday.

Earlier on the day, the prestigious first-class competition got underway across three cities and four venues.

Newcomers Mymensingh Division is facing Sylhet in their opening-round fixture at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, while Dhaka Division is taking on Rangpur Division at the Sylhet Outer Stadium.

In the other first-round matches, Khulna Division is hosting Barishal Division, and Chattogram Division is playing against Rajshahi Division in Rajshahi.