Bangladesh Premier League Paused for Major Overhaul
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Bangladesh’s top T20 cricket competition, will not be held this year. The national cricket board announced this decision on Thursday. The popular tournament is undergoing a full review and major changes.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal spoke to reporters. He said some teams had broken rules. He also mentioned problems with unpaid money and bank guarantees. The BCB lost about $3.3 million from the BPL in the last two years, Mr. Iqbal stated.
Mr. Iqbal believes the BPL is a strong product. Many people are interested in it. He said if the league is run well, more interest will grow. The BCB should earn money from franchise cricket, not lose it. So, holding a tournament that loses money is not important now, he explained.
The BCB president confirmed the board fully intends to host the BPL again. However, he wants to do it correctly. He is willing to take six months or even a year to fix all issues properly.
Mr. Iqbal was recently named chairman of a new committee for franchise leagues. This committee is part of the International Cricket Council. He said Bangladesh’s own BPL experience makes this overhaul very important. If franchise cricket does not work well in Bangladesh, stopping it to rebuild sends a strong message, he added.
Mr. Iqbal shared this news at the launch of the Game Development (GD) Trophy. This new tournament features young players. It includes Bangladesh’s under-17, under-19, and under-23 teams.
The BCB has started talking with the current franchise owners. The board plans to finish the new franchise process by April or May next year. This will give them enough time to find new teams if any current ones fail.
