Cricket fans in Bangladesh are in for a treat as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is preparing to launch an innovative new franchise-based domestic cricket tournament. Set to commence in November, this tournament will bring together T20, ODI, and four-day cricket under a unified structure. The board aims to finalize the tournament's name and other details by the end of September.
BCB President Tamim Iqbal has indicated that an official announcement is expected in the final week of September, potentially on September 25 or 26. Under the proposed system, player drafts for all three formats will be conducted simultaneously, although the competitions will be staged at different times. The BCB is still deliberating whether player contracts will be for one year or three years.
The new tournament will feature six franchise teams, with corporate organizations set to receive ownership or sponsorship rights. The BCB itself will not operate any team, according to Tournament Committee Chairman Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir. 'NCL T20, BCL's four-day matches and BCL ODIs are being combined to form six teams,' Alamgir explained. 'After that, the sponsorship or ownership of the teams will be transferred to corporate organizations. We, BCB, will not manage any team there.'
This new structure is designed to enhance the competitiveness and commercial appeal of domestic cricket, while also providing players with more opportunities to earn and play. The BCB hopes that national team players will participate, subject to their international commitments and workload. Tamim said he hopes all leading national players will be available for the inaugural season if scheduling and workload permit.
The initiative comes after financial and organizational difficulties in previous franchise competitions. The BCB has had to operate teams at its own expense in the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), while similar problems have emerged in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The board says those experiences have been taken into account while designing the new competition, particularly in relation to franchise ownership, player payments, and financial management.
