The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Mahbub Anam as the new chairman of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Governing Council, replacing Faruque Ahmed in a leadership reshuffle aimed at revitalizing the country’s flagship T20 franchise tournament.
The appointment was confirmed during a BCB board meeting held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, as per a report from Cricbuzz. Anam, a former BCB director, will take charge immediately, with Nazmul Abedin continuing as Member Secretary and Fahim Sinha retaining his role as a council member.
“Mahbub bhai was named as the new chairman of BPL governing council,” a BCB official confirmed to Cricbuzz.
New chairman faces big challenges and bigger expectations
The leadership change comes at a critical time for the BPL, which has faced mounting criticism over player payment delays and match-fixing allegations in recent seasons. Although an investigation committee was formed, the findings remain unpublished.
“We had a short follow-up meeting after the board session,” the BCB official added. “Right now, everyone is engaged with preparations for the celebration of 25 years of Bangladesh’s Test status, but we’ve started early discussions on what model we want for the BPL moving forward.”
The current three-year BPL cycle concludes after the 2024–25 season. With a new cycle on the horizon, BCB officials are actively exploring structural reforms, including a possible shift to a four- or five-year format.
“We had some preliminary discussions on which model we want to hold the BPL. We have to increase the brand value of BPL and that will the biggest challenge for us. We will be taking help from professional consultants and consultancy firm or agency will be considered in this regard. We are thinking four or five year’s cycle. We started the discussion today and next week we will shape things up,” the official said.
Rebooting the BPL business model
The BCB is also considering changes to the tournament’s scale, potentially reducing the number of teams from seven to five to streamline operations if logistical or financial constraints persist.
“Whether we can do BPL can only be said when we start our work. We have to come up with a new model and approach and if we face too many challenges, it could be that instead of seven teams, there will be five teams. Even if in a small scale, we want to hold a T20 event,” the official added.
With national elections looming, holding the tournament in its traditional December window is also in question. Yet the BCB remains intent on securing top-tier commercial backing for the league.
“Big challenge but international bidding and if we can enact a good business model like other franchise leagues, then good organizations would be interested to come,” said the BCB official. “We will pitch our ideas and our model to different companies and see whose approval we have got.”
Focus also on Test cricket milestone and media rights
While the BPL overhaul dominates headlines, the BCB board also discussed upcoming media rights bids and preparations for the 25th anniversary celebrations of Bangladesh’s Test status.
“BPL’s slot is always in December so we had a small meeting following the board meeting as everyone is busy with the carnival (to celebrate 25 years of Test cricket),” the BCB official explained.
“One way or another, we’re committed to hosting a T20 event,” the official affirmed.
As Mahbub Anam steps into his new role, the task ahead is clear: restore credibility, boost the BPL’s brand value, and position the league as a serious player in the global franchise cricket market.
