“With the Right Model and Ownership, BPL Can Be World-Class” – Anil Mohan Ready to Transform Everything

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), under the leadership of Aminul Islam Bulbul, is determined to transform the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) into a world-class tournament. The board has already attracted interest from several renowned global firms to manage the league.

On Monday, BCB issued a press release listing the companies that have expressed interest in managing the BPL:

Apex Sports Consulting

IMG

Real Impact & Absolute Legends Sports

The IPG Group & Mind Tree Ltd.

Transports Group

Anil Mohan, Founder and CEO of The IPG Group, one of the shortlisted entities, spoke in detail to senior sports journalist Riasad Azim.

Anil Mohan, who has worked internationally across various leagues, believes BPL has the potential to become one of the top franchise leagues in the world—with the right model, ownership structure, and timing.

“BPL is an exciting league, but over the past few years it has suffered from issues in management and structure. I’ve seen first-hand the content and potential it has, which surpasses many other countries,” he said.

He cited his success in managing Sri Lanka’s Lanka Premier League (LPL) over the last five years and expressed a strong desire to do the same for BPL.

“We handled everything in LPL—from team sales, sponsorships, media rights, to production. We can bring the same level of quality and structure to BPL.”

Key Challenges: Right Owners and Proper Scheduling

According to Anil, BPL’s biggest challenges are:

• Bringing in the right franchise owners
• Fixing the tournament window

“You can’t run a league that’s good one year and poor the next. You need consistent ownership—people who invest, bring top players, and attract strong sponsors.”

“BPL’s schedule often clashes with other major leagues. We’ll propose a window where there’s less competition globally—like IPL, BBL, and English leagues all have fixed calendars. BPL needs one too.”

BCB Has Strong Commercial Potential

“BCB is commercially far more capable than many boards. Compared to Sri Lanka, UAE, or Zimbabwe, they’re ahead,” he said.

“I’ve managed leagues in South Africa, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Ireland, and even the USA. I know how things work behind the scenes, and I want to use that experience to help BPL grow.”

Goal: Bring Global-Caliber Owners and Media Distribution

“We’ll bring in high-quality franchise owners from the UK and beyond—those who are willing to invest. Once they join, sponsors, media rights, and top players will follow.”

“Our core objective is to build a proper ownership model and global media distribution. If we get that right, BPL will thrive automatically.”

In closing, Anil said:

“When Sri Lanka’s league was shut down in 2012, I was the one who revived it. I’ve been running it successfully for five years now. It wasn’t easy, but we made it happen. Now I want to replicate that success with BPL.”