The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earned more than Tk 10.3 crore from the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, despite the tournament being relocated from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates due to security concerns.
Bangladesh had originally secured full hosting rights for the October 2024 event, expecting significant revenue, particularly from ticket sales at home venues such as the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium and the Sylhet International Stadium. But after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government and resulting security concerns, the ICC moved all matches to Dubai and Sharjah.
Even though the matches were held abroad, BCB retained official host status and received the full host fee from the ICC. According to the board’s 2023–24 audited financial report, this amounted to Tk 8.69 crore.
In addition to that, BCB also earned a large share of the ticket revenue following negotiations with the Emirates Cricket Board. Though it was not the venue host, BCB was able to secure 55 percent of the total ticket revenue. Total sales reached AED 6,59,518, of which BCB’s share was AED 3,30,327 around USD 73,642 or Tk 16.99 lakh. This figure was reported in the board’s last meeting on 30 June.
Former BCB president Faruk Ahmed played a key role in brokering the deal with the Emirates Cricket Board, ensuring Bangladesh’s interests were protected despite the change in venue.
The Bangladesh women’s team added further to the board’s earnings. Although they exited at the group stage, they received USD 67,500 in participation money and an additional USD 31,154 from their win against Scotland a combined Tk 1.1 crore in prize money.