Major Overhaul Planned for BPL: Five-Year Franchises, Revenue Sharing, Foreign Teams Welcome

Controversy and criticism around the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) are nothing new. While questions continue to be raised about its transparency and credibility, the tournament’s popularity on the field remains strong—as highlighted again at the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) latest press conference.

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, responding to a series of probing questions about the BPL, quipped:

“Listening to all these questions, it seems the BPL is very popular!”

After a long board meeting, BCB’s Media and Marketing Committee chairman Iftikhar Rahman outlined sweeping changes planned for the tournament’s 12th edition. The BPL will, for the first time, be managed by an international-standard sports management agency.

“We’ve fixed the BPL time frame for December-January,” Iftikhar said. “There’s been a lot of criticism in the last edition, and even before that. So we’ve decided to do what other countries do—like the IPL or PSL—and hire a renowned sports agency to manage the event.”

Franchise ownership will also see major changes. Instead of three-year terms, franchises will now get five-year contracts under a new revenue-sharing model.

“The franchises will be given for at least five years,” Iftikhar explained. “We’ll negotiate a new financial model with them. It won’t be like before. We’ll develop a revenue-sharing model after consulting all stakeholders.”

In an effort to boost transparency, BCB will also involve external experts in the BPL’s organizational committee—a first in the tournament’s history.

“The most significant decision for transparency is to have people from outside the board involved,” he said. “We want to complete the BPL with a truly clean image, so the committee will include external specialists from different disciplines.”

With Bangladesh’s national elections looming, scheduling required extra caution. Ultimately, the board settled on the December-January window, with Iftikhar confirming that the government has given the green light.

Perhaps the most striking change: for the first time, the BPL will be open to foreign franchise owners.

“The BPL will be open to everyone,” Iftikhar added. “We’ll finalize criteria based on our experience and advice from successful agencies. Once the board approves those criteria, and assuming they meet our government’s regulations, foreign franchises will be able to own teams.”

These bold plans have reignited optimism around the BPL. The big question now is whether the BCB can turn these promises into reality.