Concerns raised over the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) have been firmly dismissed by BPL Governing Council member Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, who insisted that all actions have been taken strictly within established guidelines.
The issue came to the fore after Dhaka Capitals held a press conference on Friday, accusing ACU of overstepping its authority by entering players’ hotel rooms without permission and questioning cricketers just before they went out to bat. The franchise expressed particular displeasure over the sudden entry into the hotel room of Afghan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Responding to the allegations, Mithu said the ACU’s conduct was fully justified and guideline-compliant. “You can check the code regarding the Gurbaz incident,” he told the media. “It is clearly written there. They have full authority to monitor in this way and are not operating outside the guidelines. If someone is uncomfortable, that is a personal matter.”
Mithu further claimed that suspicious activity has significantly declined in this year’s BPL due to increased vigilance. He said international monitoring agencies are also tracking developments and added that anti-corruption expert Alex Marshall is expected to provide data showing how sharply such incidents have fallen.
Addressing complaints over the confiscation of mobile phones, including that of Dhaka Capitals chief executive Atif Fahad, Mithu stressed that such steps are taken only as part of formal investigations. “In my view, they do not just take someone’s phone without cause,” he said. “This is part of the monitoring process. They could ask for my phone at any time as well. They have that right, and it has been done according to procedure.”
The BCB maintains that the ACU’s proactive approach this season is a direct response to fixing allegations raised during the previous edition of the BPL, and that strict monitoring remains essential to protecting the integrity of the tournament.
