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Published : 07 May 2026, 09:14 PM
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has incurred losses close to Tk 200 million from the last season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the board’s interim chief Tamim Iqbal has said.
On Thursday, Tamim said he would not allow the franchise-based tournament to continue in its current “below par” structure if he is elected BCB president.
He noted that the board had initially reported losses of Tk 140–160 million from the season, but the figure was later revised upward to Tk 199 million.
Tamim also alleged that BCB Integrity Unit chief Alex Marshall had earlier cautioned against assigning BPL teams to two specific individuals.
“Yet one of them was given ownership of a BPL team,” he said.
According to him, both teams participated throughout the tournament without formally signing agreements with the BCB, raising questions over compliance and oversight.
Fahim Sinha, head of the BPL governing council, said that due to “bitter experiences” from previous editions, stricter criteria were introduced for selecting franchises last season.
“But they were not followed,” he added, pointing to lapses in enforcement that have now come under scrutiny.
Fahim said the two teams without contracts were Sylhet Titans and Noakhali Express. Both franchises were new.
Tamim said legal action against those involved in the BCB and BPL governing councils has not been discussed yet.
“We just made the announcement [Thursday]. We ourselves have decided that they need to be questioned. They should be held accountable,” he said.
The former Bangladesh skipper said, “We need to discuss whether to take any legal action. If I suddenly say that we will file a case, that will not be right.”
The BCB interim head pledged to perfect the franchise selection process if elected as the BCB chief and serves in the long term.
He favours skipping the tournament if necessary and suitable franchise operators are not found.
There is no point in organising the BPL if cricketers cannot trust the franchise, there is no fair cricket and cricketers don’t get paid in time, he said.
“The BPL is a great product for us. But it is better not to organise it the way it was held in the last edition,” he told the press.
