News 14 May 2015

Bangladesh Cricket Board proposes launch of new Bangladesh Premier League

On Monday the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held a press conference in Dhaka to announce a potential relaunch of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), with the BCB looking to start a third edition beginning in December 2015. There have already been two editions of the BPL, but nothing since the most recent one finished in February 2013 under a cloud of corruption allegations. The 2013 BPL saw nine individuals charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with various offences alleged to have been committed in contravention to the BCB’s Anti-Corruption Code.

During the press conference, Ismail Haider Mallick, the BPL’s Governing Committee Secretary, told media that it wasn’t an official announcement, but that they were looking for a window in December once international fixtures had been finalised. Mallick also referred to the corruption scandal which engulfed the last BPL, stating that the problem was now solved and any irregularities had been addressed by the BCB’s Anti-Corruption Committee. He said that the BCB’s anti-corruption committee was constantly in contact with the ICC

Mallick also spoke about the problems with player payments that had marred the last BPL, stating that the BCB had now taken responsibility and had cleared 90% of the players’ payments due from the last tournament. The Governing Committee Secretary allayed fears of a repeat of the delayed players’ payment, asserting that the financial structure of the next tournament would involve big changes, and that the BCB were trying to ensure transparency and a realistic financial model for the tournament. Mallick defiantly warned that if FICA (Federation of International Cricketers Association) continued to warn foreign players not to come to the BPL based on its past reputation, it would be a great mistake.

The franchises involved in the last edition of the BPL were also accused of failing to clear player payments and to respond to any communication from the BCB. Afzalur Rahman Sinha, BPL Governing Council Chairman and BCB Finance Committee Chairman, said that none of the team franchises from the league’s last edition had kept their commitment to the BPL. As a result, he said, the BPL would be releasing a tender for new franchises if the previous ones continued to ignored communications and fail to clear their dues.

According to ESPNcricinfo, this is the third time after announcements in April and August last year that the BCB have said that they wished to continue the next edition of the BPL T20 tournament. Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful was banned for eight years (three years suspended) by the BPL Anti-Corruption Tribunal in June for his involvement in match and spot-fixing in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. The Tribunal also convicted the managing director Shihab Chodhury of one of the franchises, Dhaka Gladiators’, as well as former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent and Sri Lanka batsman Kaushal Lokuarachchi.

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