The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will not be held this year as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) moves to restructure the franchise-based tournament, BCB president Tamim Iqbal said.
Speaking to reporters, Tamim said some franchises had violated rules and regulations, while the board was also dealing with unpaid dues and bank guarantee issues.
According to Tamim, the BCB has suffered losses of around $3.3 million from the BPL over the past two years.
He said the board wanted to make the tournament financially sustainable before resuming it, stressing that franchise cricket should generate profits rather than losses for the governing body.
“Our intention is 1,000 per cent to host BPL,” Tamim said, adding that the board would not rush the process and would take six to 12 months, if necessary, to ensure the competition was properly organised.
Tamim, who was recently appointed chairman of the International Cricket Council’s newly formed Franchise League Committee, said Bangladesh’s experience with the BPL made the planned overhaul particularly significant.
He said restructuring the league would send an important message about the need for franchise cricket to operate effectively and sustainably.
The BCB has begun discussions with existing franchises and plans to complete the franchise process by April or May next year. The extended timeline will allow the board to consider alternative franchises if any existing team fails to meet its financial obligations.
Tamim also confirmed that the BCB was open to the participation of foreign franchises in the revamped BPL.
He was speaking at the launch of the Game Development (GD) Trophy, a new tournament featuring Bangladesh’s under-17, under-19 and under-23 teams.
