Bangladesh cricketers have backed a longer-term plan to strengthen earnings across the domestic game after the cancellation of this season’s Bangladesh Premier League left players facing a significant loss of income.
The approach emerged following a September 1 meeting between Bangladesh Cricket Board President Tamim Iqbal and representatives of the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB). The discussions focused on how the domestic system could provide greater financial security following the loss of one of the players’ major sources of income.
Players shift focus towards long-term financial security
The latest talks followed consultation involving Bangladesh’s red-ball and white-ball Captains, senior players and experienced domestic cricketers as CWAB considered how best to respond to a season without the BPL.
CWAB President Mohammad Mithun, speaking at the press conference after the meeting with the BCB, said: “The players have suffered financially, and that loss cannot be made up. I am sure everyone will admit that it is impossible to fully recover this loss. Since Covid, both the Premier League and the BPL have become irregular. Every year we have to deal with different payment-related issues. Our request to the cricket board is that players should not have to depend on the BPL or the Premier League to support their families.”
Bangladesh National Team Opener Saif Hassan also addressed the press conference after the meeting: “We had a meeting with the board today. It was a very productive meeting. We discussed how players can benefit in the long run. Since the BPL isn’t happening, there will be a financial loss for us. But the BCB has come up with a very good idea for the players. It’s not just about one player. There are around 200 players in our domestic cricket system, and the board is thinking about how everyone can benefit. The board will let us know the details. Overall, it was a very productive meeting.”
Saif said the players had approached the BCB seeking clarity on what could be done following the loss of the BPL, while maintaining their right to raise the issue with the board. He also indicated that any future tournament should deliver benefits across the wider playing group.
Financial concerns preceded latest BCB talks
The September 1 discussions followed an earlier meeting on August 30 that ended without a resolution. Ahead of the latest meeting, according to Cricbuzz, some players had reservations about relying on increased NCL T20 match fees to offset earnings lost through the absence of the BPL.
Under the earnings figures cited before the meeting, a leading BPL cricketer could make around BDT 8 million (approx. US$64K), while an A-grade player could earn approximately half that amount. Even with higher NCL T20 match fees, players competing through the end of the six-team tournament were projected to receive only around 20% of the amount available to them through the BPL.
One cricketer, speaking to Cricbuzz on condition of anonymity, said: “We have to think about the present as well and who can assure that we will get everything in future that is being offered? We have to keep in mind that with time lot of things change and we have witnessed that time and again. So we feel we need to take a decision that will secure our present as well as lay the platform of our future rather than taking a decision that makes us feel that we are only interested in preparing the future of the country at the expense of our financial sacrifice.”
The BCB decided not to stage the BPL this season as Tamim seeks to address structural issues around the competition before attempting to develop it into a stronger product. The board spent nearly BDT 400 million (approx. US$3.2 million) subsidising the tournament across its previous three editions.
No replacement tournament for the BPL
The BPL’s absence has also raised the question of what, if anything, will occupy the vacant window in Bangladesh’s domestic calendar.
Mithun said: “First of all, since the BPL isn’t happening, there isn’t really a situation where we can organize something else and make up that loss for the players. And even if something is organized, it won’t be possible to fully cover it. The question is whether something is being organized instead of the BPL. No, nothing is being organized as a replacement for the BPL. Instead, we discussed how much of the financial loss can be covered through the tournaments that are already part of our regular calendar, such as the NCL and BCL, and how much benefit the players can get from that.”
Separately, plans have been reported for a six-team package spanning three tournaments, alongside a process to sell ownership rights for the six teams. That initiative is not being positioned as a tournament replacing the BPL.
CWAB chooses wider domestic model
The players’ representatives considered different ways of addressing the financial impact before presenting their proposals to the board.
Mithun continued: “It’s not just CWAB. We’re also speaking to players who are currently outside the country over the phone. We discussed what would be better and then gave our proposals to the board. We had two options. One was to receive some kind of financial support instead of the BPL. The other was to think long term and create something that can benefit 150 to 200 players. We spoke with the red-ball and white-ball captains and players who have been playing domestic cricket for a long time. Instead of thinking about only 50, 60 or 70 players, we wanted to find a way to benefit 150 to 200 players in the future. If we took a one-time benefit this year, it would end this year. We didn’t want to think that way. We wanted a long-term solution so that the next generation of stars can also benefit from it. That’s how we approached the discussion.”
The focus now moves to the financial terms available to players through Bangladesh’s established domestic competitions.
Domestic match fees set for proposed increase
Four-day NCL match fees had already increased from BDT 75,000 (approx. US$600) to BDT 100,000 (approx. US$800) after Tamim became BCB President. Current one-day and T20 NCL fees stand at BDT 50,000 (approx. US$400) and BDT 40,000 (approx. US$320), respectively.
Mithun stated: “We want to raise match fees for domestic tournaments to a respectable level so players can live comfortably throughout the year. The board has responded positively, and the proposals are expected to be approved at the next BCB board meeting.”
Players want BPL back next season
CWAB’s discussions over domestic earnings have not altered the players’ position on the future of the BPL. The association has also sought greater continuity for Bangladesh’s major domestic competitions following recent disruption to the calendar.
Mithun added: “We certainly wanted the BPL to happen this year, but since it isn’t, we want to make sure it takes place next year.”
CWAB has also maintained that ensuring major tournaments are not discontinued is a responsibility shared by the cricket board. The next confirmed step is the BCB board’s consideration of the proposed increases in domestic match fees.
