Vice-President Shakhawat Hossain of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Tuesday that the board will be sending letters to some officials and players who were allegedly involved in irregularities during the previous year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) telling them not to play in the upcoming season in an attempt to protect the tournament’s integrity.
The action follows suggestions made by the Independent Inquiry Committee, which was established earlier this year to look into inconsistencies in the 2024 BPL that were identified.
Before the BPL players’ draft on November 17, Shakhawat said the letters will be sent by Alex Marshall, the board’s anti-corruption expert and former head of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).
Shakhawat said Cricbuzz, “The letter will be sent on November 15 because the players draft is scheduled on November 17.” Before the drafting, we want everything to be finalized. In the board meeting yesterday, I brought up this point. Priorities and severity will determine how we proceed.
“‘Letter means he will communicate personally and moreover, we will make sure that people who have allegations against their names can’t participate in the BPL,” stated the politician.
“Alex Marshall has received the report that we got. Afterward, based on the seriousness of the accusations made against those individuals, he will draft a charge sheet. He stated that they are evaluating the seriousness of the accusations prior to mailing the letters, and that “basically, he will communicate with them directly.”
“It will rely on how serious the accusation is; in other words, some accusations may be merely doubts. Others may be subject to accusations supported by evidence, a formal charge sheet, or even doubts. It will entirely depend on the seriousness of the situation and how ICC’s Alex Marshall handles it,” he continued.
The vice-president went on to say that anyone found to have engaged in misconduct during the previous BPL will be excluded from all cricket-related events.
“If we find any proof against a management group or individual based on the charge frame, none of them will be allowed to stay involved – not at the stadium, not at the games, not even within cricket,” Shakhawat added.
For the forthcoming BPL season, Shakhawat added, BCB has asked ICC for help in choosing its franchises.
“The first criteria are financial solvency, then integrity,” he stated. The approval of law enforcement is also crucial. Those with strong team management systems and a real connection to cricket were given preference for BPL membership.
On Wednesday, the BCB announced the five teams who will compete in the next round of the tournament, which is set for December 19–January 16.
Five parties were chosen based on their integrity and financial strength out of the eleven that had indicated interest in participating. Official team names will be confirmed later. The five franchises are owned by Toggy Sports (Rangpur), Triangle Services (Chittagong), Champion Sports (Dhaka), Nabil Group (Rajshahi), and Cricket with Sami (Sylhet).
Fortune Barishal, the reigning champions, informed Cricbuzz that they wouldn’t be able to assemble their team in time for the upcoming cycle.
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