Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal has confirmed that the Bangladesh Premier League will not be held this year, saying the board wants to fix the problems around the tournament before bringing it back.
Tamim spoke to reporters in Mirpur amid uncertainty over the future of the country’s franchise T20 competition. He said the BCB had no interest in rushing another edition while financial and franchise issues remained unresolved.
“This year, the BPL will not be held. We are working on a formula. Once 60 to 70 percent of the work is done, I will announce how we plan to arrange our domestic calendar. It will be quite different and interesting,” Tamim said.
Asked again whether there was enough time to stage the tournament this year, Tamim gave a clear answer.
“I don’t think so. There will be no BPL this year.”
Tamim, who was elected BCB president in June, said the board had suffered losses of around Tk 40 crore over the last two years because of problems involving franchises.
He said Rangpur and Rajshahi were in a better position than most of the other teams, although Rajshahi had not met every requirement despite clearing payments.
According to Tamim, the BCB often has to take responsibility when a franchise pulls out or fails to meet its obligations.
“I have indicated several times that I will not run the BPL this way. There are two or three issues. First of all, our main agenda was to hold the election as soon as possible. Why would the BPL run into problems? Apart from Rangpur and Rajshahi, what is the situation with the others? In some cases, rules and regulations have been broken.”
“Rajshahi have not met 100 percent of the compliance requirements either, although they have cleared their payments. The problem is that if a team pulls out or does not meet the requirements, the BCB has to take responsibility for that team.”
Tamim said a franchise competition should generate income for the board rather than leave it carrying losses.
“In the last two years, the BCB has lost around Tk 40 crore. The BCB is supposed to make a profit from franchise cricket, not a loss. Until we fix this, holding the tournament while losing money is not important.”
Despite putting the BPL on hold, Tamim insisted that the board remains fully committed to bringing it back.
“Our intention to hold it is 1000 percent. But I don’t want to rush. I want to do it properly. If it takes six months or 12 months, I will take that time.”
“We have started communicating with the franchises. The issues involving those who have defaulted need to be settled. Missed payments and bank guarantee issues are being looked at step by step. We have not officially announced anything yet. My priority is to fix the whole thing so that the BCB can make a profit.”
Tamim said the board wants to complete the franchise process by April or May before the next edition.
“We want to complete the entire franchise process by April or May. Previously, everything was done at the last moment. We want enough time to lock in the franchises so that if someone defaults, we have time to find an alternative.”
“We will try to host it next year in a systematic way. If I wanted, I could put five teams together tomorrow, but I will not do that. What is important to me is fair cricket and maintaining the dignity of the BCB. I am ready to face criticism for that.”
Tamim also addressed concerns about players who rely on the BPL for a significant part of their earnings.
He admitted that players would suffer financially without the tournament and said he would also have been disappointed if he were still playing.
“The message is going to the players. If I were a player, I would be disappointed too. I don’t disagree that they will suffer financial losses.”
“But they also understand that this tournament should be something the BCB can be proud of. Are we proud of what has happened over the last few years? Probably not.”
Tamim believes the BPL still has strong commercial value if it is managed properly.
“The players also agree that it should be organised properly. The logic may differ, but for me the main thing is to run the tournament properly. The BPL is a great product and there is huge interest in it. If we can run it properly, that interest will increase further.”
Tamim also spoke about his wider role in franchise cricket and said Bangladesh must first put its own competition in order.
“If franchise cricket does not run properly in my own country, then stopping it and rebuilding it would send a strong message from my committee. If I am the chairman and see irregularities in my own country, it is better to stop them and revive the tournament properly.”
“For now, I want to stop it and rebuild the whole thing properly.”
The BCB is also dealing with recommendations from its Integrity Unit, headed by independent chair Alex Marshall. Marshall has previously overseen integrity work around the BPL.
Tamim said recommendations had been sent for legal review.
“We have received some recommendations from Alex Marshall. We have sent them to the lawyers for their opinion. Once we receive their feedback, we will inform everyone through a statement. When the recommendations from the second phase arrive, we will let you know the names.”
The BCB president also left the door open for established foreign franchise owners to become involved in the BPL in the future.
“We have to check our policy on that and sit with the lawyers. If a renowned franchise comes in, it will increase credibility. We are talking to many parties and there is some interest.”
“But there is a difference between showing interest and buying a team. We have to see whether our rules and policies are favourable. If foreign franchises come in, the BPL will gain much more credibility.”
Earlier in the press conference, the BCB announced a new Game Development Trophy involving Bangladesh Under 17, Under 19 and Under 23 teams. Tamim said the competition was designed to give young players a chance to test themselves against older cricketers and help selectors identify special talent.
The BCB’s official committee list names Fahim Sinha as chairman of both the Game Development Committee and the BPL Governing Council.
Tamim said the new competition should become a regular part of the calendar rather than a one season event.
“The main goal is to find and identify talent. A 17 year old might show through this tournament that he is ready for the next Under 19 World Cup or even for a higher level.”
For the BPL, however, Tamim’s message was clear. The competition will not return until the BCB believes it can run the tournament in a more stable and financially sound way.
