BPL not to be held this year, says BCB president Tamim

BCB president Tamim Iqbal has confirmed that the Bangladesh Premier League will not take place this year, citing non-compliance by franchise teams, outstanding dues and related complications.

Speaking to the media, Tamim said the board is instead developing a new structure for domestic cricket. “The BPL is not happening this year. We are working on a new formula. When 60 to 70 percent of the work is completed, we will officially announce how we are arranging our domestic cricket calendar. It is going to be quite different and exciting,” he said.

The BCB president identified several major issues behind the decision. These include breaches of rules and regulations by franchises, problems in clearing payments, and complications over team responsibilities. “I have indicated several times that I will not run the BPL like this. There are basically two-three big issues here. First, our main agenda was to complete the elections as soon as possible,” he added.

Referring to the current status of the teams, Tamim noted that only Rangpur and Rajshahi remain in a relatively better position, though even Rajshahi has not achieved full compliance despite clearing its payments. “What is the status of the remaining teams except Rangpur and Rajshahi? In some cases, rules and regulations have been broken,” he said.

The board has incurred losses of around Tk 40 crore from the BPL over the past two years, Tamim revealed. “If a team withdraws from the tournament or does not meet the compliance, then BCB has to take responsibility for that team. In the last two years, BCB has lost about Tk 40 crore. BCB is supposed to profit from franchise cricket, not lose.”

He stressed that the board has no intention of permanently discontinuing the tournament but is unwilling to proceed without resolving the underlying problems. “We are 1000 percent willing to implement it. But I don’t want to rush. I want to do the job properly, so even if it takes 6 or 12 months, I will take it.”

Contacts with the franchises have already begun to address rule violations, outstanding payments and bank guarantees. The aim is to establish a profitable and sustainable structure for the league. Tamim plans to finalise the franchise process for the next edition by April-May next year, allowing sufficient time to manage any withdrawals or breaches. “What used to happen before, everything was done at the very last minute. We want to finalize the franchises with enough time… If I wanted, I could field five teams tomorrow, but I will not do that. The most important thing for me is to ensure competitive fair cricket and maintain the honor and dignity of the BCB.”

The BPL was previously cancelled in 2014 amid a fixing scandal and in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.