Dhaka, Dec 29 (bdnews24.com) -- The logo of the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 (BPL) was unveiled on Thursday.
The tournament's six icon players -- Tamim Iqbal (Chittagong), Mohammad Ashraful (Dhaka), Alok Kapali (Sylhet), Shahriar Nafees (Barisal), Mushfiqur Rahim (Rajshahi) and Shakib Al Hasan (Khulna) -- also attended the spectacular launch programme at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in the capital.
The first edition of the BPL will kick off on Feb 9, 2012 with the final to be played on Feb 29.
The 20-day tournament will feature six teams that will play each other twice each in a round-robin format.
Of the 33 matches, 25 will be staged at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur and the remainder at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
Teams will be allowed to field five foreign players in their playing elevens, as opposed to four in the Indian Premier League.
The icon players will be paid five percent more than the amount received by the highest paid player of each franchise.
The franchise auction will take place on Jan 5, either in Dhaka or the seaside town of Cox's Bazar.
Companies wishing to bid for a franchise will submit their offers on the same day, and bids will be opened in front of all those present, with the franchises going to the highest bidder.
The player auction is scheduled to take place 10 days later. Each team will have to spend a minimum of $2 million and can spend up to a maximum of $5 million.
(With additional reporting from ESPNcricinfo)
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