BPL 2nd edition from Jan 17

The second edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is scheduled to get underway at three different venues across the country with the participation of seven teams from January 17. This year Rangpur Division will make their debut with the previous six-franchised teams in the showcase event. Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong along with Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium will be used as venues for the second version. Players’ auction both foreign and local players will be held on December 20. BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon, MP, revealed this at a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday.

“We’ve concentrated on addressing the major issues as we have very short time to solve those issues. We would start the showcase event with legal deed, which was totally absence in the maiden edition of the BPL,” said BCB president.

“Before players’ auction on December 20, we will make deed with franchised-team owners so that we could take legal action against them if they violate any terms and condition,” Papon also said.

Ismail Haider Mollick, member secretary of the BPL governing council and also member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), said “We met with franchised-team owners several times to settle major issues including players’ payment, responsibilities of franchises and signing a concrete deed.”

“Every local and overseas player will receive 25 percent of their total payment prior to the start of the tournament and 25 percent will be paid before the last match of the BPL. The remaining 50 percent payment will be paid within the next 6-month after completion of the BPL,” informed Afzalur Rahman Sinha, chairman of the BPL tournament committee.

“But this time payment will be given through BCB. At first the franchises will pay BCB as per the condition and then BCB will give it to the players. Here BCB will be acted as a regulatory body,” Sinha said at the first press meet before the start of the second edition of the BPL.

“We’ve tried to sort out the disputed issues first and then try to solve it. We’ve already solved the issue of the foreign players’ payment. We need some more times to solve all the disputed issues as we came here just 12-day ago. We’ve too short time ahead for the second version of the BPL.”

Payment of the local players are not yet to be finished. Every concerned authorities including CWAB (Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh), FICA (International Cricketers Association) raised question about it. Sinha expressed his optimism to solve the payment issues.

“We will be able to solve all the problems prior to the opening game. Already we have given a time-frame of December 30 to pay all the dues of the local players,” Sinha said.

“We’ve formed a three-member committee including Mahbub Anam, Sajjadul Alam Boby and Ahmed Hasan Iqbal who will look into the players’ payment issue.”

“BCB’s any member and employee directly could not be associated with any BPL team. We’ll not permit this,” the BCB president said in response to a query.