The Bangladesh Cricket Board face a Tk4 crore deficit after stepping in to run Chattogram Royals during the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League, following an ownership withdrawal that forced the board to act in Chattogram and beyond.
The scale of the problem came into focus on Monday. “We have spent around Tk9 crore for the Chattogram Royals,” BPL governing council member secretary Iftekhar Rahman Mithu told Daily Sun. He laid out the arithmetic with blunt clarity.
Mithu explained how the numbers still do not balance. “We received Tk3 crore from the franchise that left us midway through the tournament, and we expect to receive another Tk2 crore from other sources, including prize money for finishing as runners-up and revenue sharing from ticket sales,” he said to Daily Sun. Even then, the gap remains wide.
The crisis began before a ball was bowled. Previous owners Triangular Services Limited walked away on the eve of the tournament, citing a lack of sponsor interest. The BCB stepped in to stop the franchise collapsing entirely.
Despite the chaos, the board prioritised player welfare. “We have already cleared 50% of the players’ payments and will soon pay the rest,” Mithu said. That assurance mattered inside a dressing room surrounded by uncertainty.
The incentives did not stop there. “The players will also receive Tk2 lakh as a winning bonus for every match they won,” Mithu added. He confirmed the board would also share a portion of the runner-up prize money with the squad.
On the field, Chattogram refused to play like a broken team. They finished second in the league phase and rode momentum into the final. Rajshahi eventually beat them by 63 runs, but the Royals still delivered value where it mattered most.
Off the field, the bill kept growing. After tax, the BCB must allocate Tk7,64,63,000 for salaries covering local and overseas players, coaches, and support staff. Travel, accommodation, catering, and daily allowances sit on top of that.
The franchise agreement adds another layer of damage. Each team owed a Tk2 crore franchise fee, yet Triangular Services paid only Tk1 crore from a Tk10 crore guarantee. That shortfall now sits firmly on the board’s ledger.
