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There had already been indications that the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) would not be held next season. Since the franchise-based tournament began, complaints surrounding its organisation have continued to mount.
After taking charge as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president this year, Tamim Iqbal had said the board no longer wanted to organise the BPL in a makeshift manner.
However, the country’s biggest domestic cricket tournament is not being scrapped permanently. The current board wants to reorganise it and stage it in a more structured manner.
The absence of the BPL is expected to cause financial losses for Bangladeshi cricketers. Against this backdrop, the BCB held two meetings with the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB).
Speaking to the media after a meeting of BCB directors on Thursday, BCB President Tamim Iqbal said match fees in domestic competitions would be increased to compensate players.
He said a player could earn Tk 35-40 lakh a year by playing domestic cricket throughout the season.
“There have been two meetings with CWAB. They made a proposal and we gave a counterproposal. We then met again and asked for some time so that we could hold our own meeting. Before coming here, I spoke with senior CWAB members. Everyone is very happy. If a player plays the entire domestic cricket season, they will earn Tk 35-40 lakh a year,” Tamim said.
“We are here to serve the cricketers. There is no question of our relationship with the players becoming strained. Rather, it should improve. Cricketers have been humiliated in many ways at different times. I do not need to say anything new about that,” he added.
Tamim further said, “Since I was a cricketer myself and played with them, I have some understanding of their good and bad times. Allah has given me the ability to understand them to some extent. I will do whatever is necessary for them. There is no question of our relationship with the cricketers becoming strained. It should only get better.”
