As the 12th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) progresses, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced changes to the payment structure of Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) officials to strengthen integrity measures.
In previous seasons, ACU members were paid by the franchises they were attached to, a system intended to reduce risk and maintain clarity. However, concerns had arisen over potential conflicts of interest, with some officials allegedly receiving a share of winning bonuses or being influenced by franchise management.
To eliminate such risks, BCB will now directly pay ACU officials for the entire season. On Thursday, Alex Marshall, Independent Chairman of the BCB Integrity Unit, confirmed to the Times of Bangladesh, “There will be no relationship, financial or support, between individual franchises and anybody working for the ACU.”
He added, “There should be a separation. You can’t become reliant or become special friends with the franchise owners, management and even the players, because the next day, you might be investigating them for a credible allegation of breaching the anti-corruption code. So there will be a separation. They will not be receiving financial support from the individual franchise.”
Earlier this month, BPL Governing Council Secretary Iftekhar Rahman Mithu echoed the concerns, saying, “Each ACU member attached to a team will have their expenses borne by BCB. The old system cannot continue. Under the previous arrangement, they could become aligned with the franchise, which compromises independence.”
The decision is aimed at ensuring that ACU officials can operate without undue influence and report any suspected corruption, fixing, or other irregularities directly to the appropriate authority.
The 12th edition of the BPL will begin on 26 December in Sylhet, followed by matches in Chattogram and concluding in Dhaka on 23 January.
