The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise race has been narrowed to eight companies after three organisations failed to meet the eligibility criteria during the initial evaluation phase.
A total of 11 companies had submitted Expressions of Interest (EOI) to acquire team ownership. However, following a four-day assessment and document review, the BPL governing council decided to exclude three firms from contention.
Those dropped include SQ Sports Enterprise, the former owners of the Chittagong Kings; the MindTree–Rupshi Concrete Ltd Consortium, which previously managed the Khulna Tigers; and Bangla Mark Ltd, which had applied for the proposed Noakhali franchise.
The decision was confirmed on 2 November after a meeting of the BPL governing council at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) headquarters. Member secretary Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu said the move was aimed at upholding higher operational and ethical standards within the tournament.
“In the past, the BPL’s reputation has suffered due to various issues,” Mithu explained. “This time, we are prioritising two things above all: timely payment of players after the tournament, and strict anti-corruption and integrity compliance. These are no longer negotiable; they are mandatory requirements for every franchise.”
He added that a technical committee had conducted a detailed verification process to ensure transparency in the selection. “The shortlist has been reduced from 11 to 8. Some companies failed to provide the necessary documents as required in the EOI process. For now, these three are out. The review is still ongoing, and the final number of teams, whether four, five, or six will be confirmed after further assessment.”
Mithu also revealed that Chittagong Kings had unresolved financial issues during their previous stint in the BPL, including USD 37,000 owed to their former coach Shaun Tait, as well as unpaid hotel bills of Tk 2.9 million at the Sheraton Dhaka and Tk 1.7 million at the Rose View Hotel in Sylhet.
