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The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will not be held this year as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) seeks to address financial losses, franchise payment issues and regulatory irregularities surrounding the tournament.
BCB President Tamim Iqbal made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday while unveiling plans for a new three-team age-group tournament.
“This year, the BPL will not take place. We are working on a new formula,” Tamim said, adding that the board would formally announce its domestic cricket calendar once 60–70 percent of the planning was complete.
Tamim said the decision was driven by several major issues, including the need to complete the election process as quickly as possible and resolve problems within the franchise-based tournament.
The BPL has faced criticism over the past two editions, particularly over irregularities and payment disputes involving franchises. Tamim said the situation had created significant financial losses for the BCB.
“Over the past two years, the BCB has incurred losses of around Tk 40 crore,” he said. “The BCB should make a profit from franchise cricket, not incur losses. So continuing the tournament while absorbing losses is not important to us until these problems are resolved.”
He said some franchises had failed to comply with rules and regulations, while issues involving outstanding payments and bank guarantees remained unresolved.
Tamim stressed that the BCB had no intention of abandoning the BPL permanently. Instead, it wants to establish a more disciplined and sustainable structure before bringing the tournament back.
“We have 1,000 percent commitment to making it happen, but I do not want to rush,” he said. “If it takes six or 12 months to do it properly, I will take that time.”
The BCB has already begun discussions with franchises and plans to complete the franchise selection process by April-May next year. Tamim said the board wanted to avoid the previous practice of finalising franchises at the last minute.
He added that the priority was to ensure fair and competitive cricket while protecting the BCB’s reputation and financial sustainability.