BPL unlikely to be held this year, says BCB president Tamim

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is unlikely to host the Bangladesh Premier League in the upcoming season, with BCB president Tamim Iqbal again suggesting that the board does not want to host the tournament in a haphazard manner.

The BPL window is fixed for December-January, and Tamim said that the franchise-based T20 tournament is not a priority for the board right now.

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“I have said it a few times that I don’t want to organise BPL this way. One thing has to be said again. In one tournament, for the last two years, BCB has incurred losses of around 40 crore taka,” Tamim said on Thursday during a press conference to announce a Game Development tournament.

“Franchise cricket is supposed to make money for the Bangladesh Cricket Board, not lose money, so there is something going wrong. So until and unless we fix the issues, it is not absolutely important for us to host this event every year,” he explained.

“Do we have the intention to do it? Hundred per cent. Do I want to rush it? Absolutely not,” added the board president.

Tamim also informed that he had held discussions with franchises regarding payment and bank guarantee issues. 

Asked if he felt there was enough time to host BPL, he said: “I don’t think so. I don’t think the BPL will be held this year.”