Franchise appointment likely by September, players' draft in October, says BPL Chairman
BPL draft
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to return in December-January, as recently announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). However, there had been uncertainty over the timeline for finalizing new franchises and organizing the players' draft — until now.
BPL Chairman Mahbub Anam has clarified that the process of selecting new franchises will begin soon, and BCB is aiming to complete franchise appointments by September.
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Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Mahbub stated that the process of onboarding new franchises will start ahead of the tournament, with several new franchises expected to join this edition of the BPL. The BCB plans to sign five-year contracts with the selected franchises.
"Many companies have already shown interest in owning teams in the BPL, and we’re currently evaluating those applications. We hope to begin the process of finalizing new franchises by August and appoint them by September," Mahbub Anam said.
The BPL chief also shared a positive update regarding the players' draft. To ensure smoother operations, the BCB is planning to appoint a sports management company to handle the tournament's logistics. This appointment is expected to be completed by mid-August, paving the way for the players’ draft to be held in October.
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"We’ve created a timeline. Given the time we have and if we can appoint the sports management company by mid to late August, we plan to finalize franchises by September. If all goes well, the players’ draft should happen sometime in October," said Mahbub Anam.
As for the process of franchise appointment, that is yet to be finalized. Mahbub Anam confirmed that this will be decided in consultation with the appointed sports management company. In the past, BPL team ownership has often included local businessmen, but no fully foreign-owned franchise has participated so far.
“When we finalize the franchise process in August, we’ll also decide — in consultation with the sports management company — whether foreign ownership will be allowed. In the past, we’ve heard of owners with links to the UK or Bangladeshi businessmen based in the USA. If necessary, and the criteria are met, foreign-owned franchises may be considered this time.”
