Bangladesh Cricket Board President Tamim Iqbal has said that the dates of a much-awaited home series against India could “move around” as the BCB reworks its calendar which may not feature its flagship T20 showpiece Bangladesh Premier league this year due to heavy financial losses. Speaking to reporters here, Tamim said the BCB will conduct a Game Development tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium from August 28 to September 9 featuring players from Under-17, Under-19 and Under-23 categories. “There are discussions regarding the India series, the dates may move around,” said Tamim. “And this tournament is taking place in Mirpur, but if necessary, it can also move to the Bashundhara ground (Dhaka). Once the India series is fixed, we will schedule it accordingly,” he was quoted as saying by ‘Cricbuzz’. India have already scheduled a three-match T20 International series against Afghanistan in New Delhi from September 13 to 17. This has all but ruled out an India-Bangladesh series in the September window. The series was postponed last year due to unrest in Bangladesh.
Speaking about the BPL, which has been mired in several controversies including corruption by players and franchises, Tamim said the Board needs to improve its financial health. He said the BPL has caused losses adding up to 40 crore Bangladeshi Taka (INR 31 crore) in the past two seasons. “I don’t think BPL will be held this year…I don’t want to organise the BPL this way…for the last two years, BCB has incurred losses of around 40 Crore Taka,” Tamim said. “Until and unless we fix the issues, it is not absolutely important for us to host this event every year…Do we have the intention to do it? Hundred percent. Do I want to rush it? Absolutely not,” he added. Tamim said it could take upto two years to fix the current situation. “A tournament from which the BCB is supposed to make a profit is instead making losses. So until this is corrected, holding it every year is not important to me. If it takes six, 12 or 24 months to do it properly, I will take that time. “We have started communication with the franchises. The issues involving those who defaulted have to be settled. The issues of missed payments and bank guarantees are being looked at step by step. We will organise the BPL only after taking the BCB to a profit-making position,” he said.
Tamim said he hopes to have the franchises ready to go by April-May next year. “If someone defaults, I want to have three to four months in hand to look for an alternative franchise. I want to ensure that the BCB or Bangladesh cricket does not fall into any trouble. “I could put five teams together tomorrow if I wanted to, but do you want that? I am willing to face criticism for this. We are working on a formula and have completed around 60-70 percent of the work regarding the domestic calendar. When we announce it, you will see a lot of new things,” he added. Tamim said he is also speaking to the players to ensure that they are taken into confidence. “I am personally communicating with the players. When I was a player, I would also have been disappointed in such a situation. It is true that they will suffer financial losses, but they also understand that the BPL should be a tournament that the BCB and Bangladesh can be proud of,” said Tamim.
