The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced a significant increase in domestic players’ match fees as it prepares to introduce a new tournament to compensate for the absence of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
The BPL has faced persistent criticism in recent years, particularly over payment-related issues, with several players reportedly still waiting to receive their dues despite the conclusion of the most recent edition.
BCB president Tamim Iqbal had earlier announced plans to revamp the tournament and said the board could even skip the next edition if necessary. That possibility now appears set to become a reality.
The absence of the BPL is expected to affect the earnings of many domestic cricketers, for whom the franchise tournament is a major source of income. Players have already held two rounds of meetings with the BCB to discuss the issue.
Speaking to the media after Thursday’s BCB working committee meeting, Tamim announced increased match fees across domestic cricket.
“Not only for 60 players, we will do it for everyone. There will be a new tournament and the number of matches will increase. I had increased the fees once when I was part of the ad hoc committee, but no matches have been played since then,” Tamim said.
“From the upcoming four-day competition, players will receive Tk 150,000 per match. For one-day matches, it will be Tk 100,000, while the T20 match fee will be Tk 80,000.”
The BCB has also increased match fees in women’s domestic cricket. The women’s three-day competition will now be converted into a four-day format, with match fees doubled from Tk 20,000 to Tk 40,000. Players will receive Tk 30,000 for one-day matches and Tk 20,000 for T20s.
Meanwhile, the BCB is planning to stage a revamped T20 competition in place of the BPL. Rather than retaining the National Cricket League T20 identity, the board is considering a new format and a new name.
The tournament is likely to be called Bangladesh Trophy and will feature six teams instead of the existing divisional sides. The teams could be purchased by corporate entities, which would then be allowed to choose their own team names.
The BCB believes the new tournament will provide some financial relief to domestic players in the absence of the BPL while also increasing the number of matches in the country’s domestic calendar.
