BPL to open on Nov 22 with six franchises

The third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League commences on Nov 22.

The opening ceremony would be held that day, while the first match would be played on Nov 24, the BPL Governing Council announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

The competition is being revived after a lapse of two years following match-fixing scandals in the last event.

The domestic Twenty20 competition will feature six franchises, instead of the last edition's seven.

Beximco Group has claimed the ownership of the much-desired Dhaka franchise, while the DBL Group has got Chittagong.

Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur and Comilla are owned by Axiom Technologies, Alif Group, Eye Sports and Royal Sporting Ltd respectively.

At present, the six companies have the teams’ ownership for four years.

Ismail Haider Mallick, a member of the council, said the decision on ownership change will be made again four years later.

Among the six franchises this season three are new. Eye Sports is the only one to retain Rangpur while Alif Group, which owned Barisal Burners the last time, has got Sylhet this time around.

"The new organisations of BPL mentioned the names of the teams (they want) in their bids. For instance, Beximco wanted Dhaka; DBL, Chittagong; and Axiom, Barisal. We gave Axiom our word for Barisal," said Mallick.

"Alif Group was yet to pay us back then. When it did, they asked for Barisal. But we turned down the plea. So they chose Sylhet."

Although Comilla is not a division, it will have a team in the competition.

Mallick explained, "Now the government's decision is that Mymensingh will be made a division and Comilla, too, may become one. So, rather than going for divisions anymore, we are considering city corporations."

The members of the Governing Council would not be allowed to be connected with any team this time, Mallick said.

But others from the board and the national team coaching staff were free to join as coach or consultants.
The domestic Twenty20 competition started in 2012 and continued in 2013.

This will be its first edition after its suspension following match-fixing scandal in the 2013 edition.

Mallick is a Beximco employee. BCB President Nazmul Hassan, too, is a senior employee in that company. If a Beximco team is in the competition, possibilities of external influence cannot be ruled out, speculate observers.

The BPL Governing Council member, however, shrugged off any such possibility.

"I work at the Beximco Pharma. The team is owned by the Beximco Group. I am an employee there, not its owner. I will have no association with the team.

"The board chief is also an employee (at Beximco). He has no association with this. There is no conflict of interest,” Mallick claimed.

“We will have no association with the Beximco Group team at the time of giving the franchise or during the competition."