In a dramatic development that has rocked Bangladesh cricket, the headquarters of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was raided by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) following serious allegations of irregularities in league selections and financial discrepancies in ticket revenue.
ACC official Mahmudul Hasan confirmed the nature and intent of the operation during a press briefing. “We came here today from the ACC’s head office to conduct an enforcement operation. The main issue of the complaint was corruption in the selection process of various cricket leagues under the Bangladesh Cricket Board. This enforcement operation is being conducted based on allegations of illegal transactions and various other irregularities,” he stated.
One of the key areas under scrutiny is the 2023 team selection for the Third Division Qualifying round. Hasan elaborated on the inconsistencies observed in the application process. “We had specific complaints today, particularly regarding the 2023 team selection for the Third Division Qualifying round. In previous years, the application fee was set at Tk 5 lakh. At that time, only two or three teams would apply, and one or two would be selected from those. This time, when the fee was reduced to Tk 1 lakh, 60 teams applied. We have collected the documents and will now verify and investigate these matters,” he added.
In addition to league selection irregularities, the ACC is also examining discrepancies in ticket sales revenue from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Hasan pointed out a glaring inconsistency between revenue figures across different seasons. “There was also a matter related to ticket sales. From the 3rd to the 10th season of the BPL, BCB had income from ticket sales. It was shown that the revenue from those eight seasons amounted to 15 crore taka. But in the 11th season, when BCB sold tickets themselves, the income was reported to be around 13 crore taka,” he revealed.
The ACC has seized relevant documents from the BCB office and stated that a full investigation will follow to verify the claims. The raid marks a significant escalation in the ongoing efforts to root out corruption within the country’s cricket administration and raises serious questions about transparency in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket structure.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
