Bangladesh Premier League
 | |
| Countries | Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| Administrator | BCB |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| First edition | 2012 |
| Latest edition | 2019–20 |
| Next edition | 2022 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin and Playoffs |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Current champion | Rajshahi Royals (1st title) |
| Most successful | Franchise of Dhaka (3 titles) |
| Most runs | Mushfiqur Rahim (2274) |
| Most wickets | Shakib Al Hasan (106) |
| TV | List of broadcasters |
| Website | BPL |
| Tournaments | |
|---|---|
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in Bangladesh. It is the 16th most attended premier league in the world. In November each team face each other twice in the league stage. Following the conclusion of the regular season, top four teams advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination game and two qualifier games culminating in the Championship game, between the winner of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.
The Bangladesh Premier League was formed in 2011 by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, after the suspension of its predecessor organisation, 2009/10 National Cricket League Twenty20. The first season was held during February 2012, and the games were held across Dhaka and Chittagong. The BPL is headed by the chairman of its Governing Council.
The team with the most BPL titles are Dhaka Dynamites with three titles, including two consecutive titles during the first two seasons of the tournament as Dhaka Gladiators. Comilla Victorians, Rangpur Riders and Rajshahi Royals are the only other teams to be crowned champions. The current champions are Rajshahi Royals, who defeated Khulna Tigers in BPL Season 7.
The 2020 version of BPL was meant to be held without franchise involvement, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) arranging the tournament. The decision came after the meeting between BCB and franchises owners whereas BCB failed to meet the demand placed by different team owners.[1] In October 2020, the BCB confirmed that there would not be another tournament in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
History[]
Following the success of franchise Twenty20 cricket leagues such as the Indian Premier League around the world, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced a plan to replace the National Cricket League with a franchise based league. On 18 January 2012 the board entered a 6-year, 350-crore deal with Game on Sports Group to establish a franchise tournament. The deal gave the group exclusive management rights to the tournament. The league was founded with six franchises from the largest cities of Bangladesh. During the franchise auction 13 companies took part in the bidding process, with six winning the rights of each clubs.
The first edition of the league officially kicked off on 9 February 2012, excluding a lavish opening ceremony at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.[3] The initial player auction was held on 18 and 19 January 2012 and the first match in the tournament staged on 9 February 2012 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium between Sylhet Royals and Barisal Burners. The first final game was between Dhaka Gladiators and Barisal Burners, with Dhaka Gladiators emerging as champions after winning by eight wickets. All matches in the first edition of the league were held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium and Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the country's second-largest city Chittagong.
Rangpur Riders were added as a seventh team for the second season. Dhaka Gladiators again emerged as champions beating Chittagong Kings in the final by 43 runs. Once again Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka hosted the final and most of the matches while the MA Aziz Stadium replaced the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong due to higher capacity and Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna (third-largest city) was added as the third venue.
Following accusations of match fixing during the 2012–13 season, the owners of all six original franchises were suspended in 2013 due to constant violations of the league regulations and constant delays in players’ salary handover. The owners of Dhaka Gladiators were handed a lifetime suspension by the governing committee.[4] A number of players and administrators were handed bans for match fixing, including the former captain of Bangladesh, Mohammad Ashraful.
Following the match fixing scandal, the league was not played in the year 2014. It returned in the 2015 with six new franchises and it was held in the winter season unlike Spring previously. Comilla Victorians won the competition, beating Barisal Bulls by three wickets. In advance of the 2016–17 edition of the league one franchise, the Sylhet Super Stars, was suspended following breaches of disciplinary regulations[5] and two new franchises, Khulna Titans and Rajshahi Kings, were introduced, bringing the number of teams in the competition back to seven.
In the 2016 edition, Dhaka Dynamites won the tournament for the third time by defeating Rajshahi Kings in the final.
In the 2017–18 edition of the league, the Sylhet franchise returned as the Sylhet Sixers with new ownership and management. As a result, the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium was also listed as a third venue. Barisal Bulls franchise was suspended due to financial mishaps.
2019-20 special edition[]
In September 2019, BCB President Nazmul Hasan Papon informed the media about certain changes in rules and regulations for the 2019–20 season and eliminating all franchises, BCB took over the charge and decided to run this tournament by the board itself and named the tournament as Bangabandhu BPL T20 2019 in order to pay homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his birth centenary.[6][7]
Rajshahi Royals defeated Khulna Tigers by 21 runs in the final match. Royals skipper Andre Russell was elected as both Man of the match for final and Player of the Tournament for his all-round performances and leading his side for their maiden BPL title.[8][9]
League organisation[]
At a corporate level, the Bangladesh Premier League considers itself an association made up of and financed by its member teams. All income generated through television rights, licensing agreements, sponsorship, ticket sales and other means is earned and shared between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the participating franchises. The league is controlled by a Governing Council (GC). As the parent organisation, the Bangladesh Cricket Board appoints the GC's members.
As of the 2018–19 season, the league consists of seven franchises. Each team players every other team twice in the round-robin stage of the competition with the teams with the top 4 advancing to a series of play-off matches. These lead to a championship match in which the league champion is decided.
Barisal and Mymensingh are the only divisions in the country to not have any representative franchise in the league.
| Team | City | Owner | Debut | Current Captain | Current Coach | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattogram Challengers | Chittagong, Chittagong Division | None[a] | 2012 | Mahmudullah | Paul Nixon | |||
| Cumilla Warriors | Comilla, Chittagong Division | Nafisa Kamal, Mustafa Kamal, Legends Sporting Limited[a] | 2015 | Soumya Sarkar | Ottis Gibson | |||
| Dhaka Platoon | Dhaka, Dhaka Division | Salman F Rahman, Shayan F Rahman, BEXIMCO[a] | 2012 | Mashrafe Mortaza | Mohammad Salahuddin | |||
| Khulna Tigers | Khulna, Khulna Division | Gemcon Group[a] | 2012 | Mushfiqur Rahim | James Foster | |||
| Rajshahi Royals | Rajshahi, Rajshahi Division | Mango Entertainment[a] | 2012 | Andre Russell | Owais Shah | |||
| Rangpur Rangers | Rangpur, Rangpur Division | Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Safwan Sobhan, Bashundhara Group[a] | 2013 | Shane Watson | Mark O'Donnell | |||
| Sylhet Thunder | Sylhet, Sylhet Division | Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Shahed Muhith, Sylhet Sports Limited[a] | 2012 | Andre Fletcher | Herschelle Gibbs | |||
| Defunct team | ||||||||
| Barisal Bulls | Barisal, Barisal Division | None | 2012–2017 | N/A | N/A | |||
Draft system[]
The BPL operates a draft system to assign players to teams. New players can be chosen by franchises during an annual draft. Teams can also choose to retain players from one year to the next and players can also be signed outside of the draft and traded between organisations. Since 2015, Imago Sports Management has been conducting the players draft event also is the official players management partner of Bangladesh Cricket Board for Bangladesh Premier League[10][11]
Tournament seasons and results[]
Statistics[]
| Season | Final venue | Final | Teams | Man of the Tournament | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Result | Runner-up | ||||
| 2012 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Dhaka Gladiators 144/2 (15.4 overs) |
Dhaka Gladiators won by 8 wickets Scorecard |
Barisal Burners 140/7 (20 overs) |
6 | Shakib Al Hasan (Khulna Royal Bengals) |
| 2012–13 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Dhaka Gladiators 172–9 (20 overs) |
Dhaka Gladiators won by 43 runs Scorecard |
Chittagong Kings 129 (16.5 overs) |
7 | Shakib Al Hasan (Dhaka Gladiators) |
| 2015–16 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Comilla Victorians 157/7 (20 overs) |
Comilla Victorians won by 3 wickets Scorecard |
Barisal Bulls 156/4 (20 overs) |
6 | Ashar Zaidi (Comilla Victorians) |
| 2016–17 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Dhaka Dynamites 159/9 (20 overs) |
Dhaka Dynamites won by 56 runs Scorecard |
Rajshahi Kings 103 (17.4 overs) |
7 | Mahmudullah (Khulna Titans) |
| 2017–18 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Rangpur Riders 206/1 (20 overs) |
Rangpur Riders won by 57 runs Scorecard | Dhaka Dynamites 149/9 (20 overs) |
7 | Chris Gayle (Rangpur Riders) |
| 2018–19 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Comilla Victorians 199/3 (20 overs) |
Comilla Victorians won by 17 runs Scorecard |
Dhaka Dynamites 182/9 (20 overs) |
7 | Shakib Al Hasan (Dhaka Dynamites) |
| 2019–20 Details |
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur | Rajshahi Royals 170/4 (20 overs) |
Rajshahi Royals won by 21 runs Scorecard |
Khulna Tigers 149/8 (20 overs) |
7 | Andre Russell (Rajshahi Royals) |
Overall team performances[]
Records include all matches played under the name of a franchise, even where the franchise has been suspended and re-created as a new organisation.
| Team | Match | Win | Loss | Tied | Tied+W | Tied+L | NR | Win% | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattogram Challengers | 86 | 39 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46.51% | |||||||||||
| Cumilla Warriors | 64 | 37 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59.38% | |||||||||||
| Dhaka Platoon | 92 | 55 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59.78% | |||||||||||
| Khulna Tigers | 75 | 34 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46.67% | |||||||||||
| Rajshahi Royals | 78 | 40 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51.28% | |||||||||||
| Rangpur Rangers | 77 | 40 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51.94% | |||||||||||
| Sylhet Thunder | 69 | 24 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.78% | |||||||||||
| Barisal Bulls | 49 | 24 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48.98% | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: 18 January 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
Overall team standings[]
| Season (No. Of Teams) |
2012 (6) |
2013 (7) |
2015 (6) |
2016 (7) |
2017 (7) |
2019 (7) |
2019-20 (7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattogram Challengers | 5th | R | 6th | 4th | 7th | 4th | 3rd |
| Cumilla Warriors | DNP | C | 6th | 3rd | C | 5th | |
| Dhaka Platoon | C | 4th | C | R | 4th | ||
| Khulna Tigers | 4th | 7th | DNP | 3rd | 4th | 7th | R |
| Rajshahi Royals | 3rd | 4th | R | 6th | 5th | C | |
| Rangpur Rangers | DNP | 5th | 3rd | 5th | C | 3rd | 6th |
| Sylhet Thunder | 6th | 3rd | 5th | DNP | 5th | 6th | 7th |
| Barisal Bulls | R | 5th | R | 7th | DNP | ||
Team performances[]
| Teams | Span | Champion(s) | Runner–up(s) | Appearances | Playoffs | League Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka Platoon | 2012 – present | 3 (2012, 2013, 2016) | 2 (2017, 2019) | 7 | 2 (2015, 2019–20) | 0 |
| Cumilla Warriors | 2015 – present | 2 (2015, 2019) | 0 | 5 | 1 (2017) | 2 (2016, 2019–20) |
| Rajshahi Royals | 2012 – present | 1 (2019–20) | 1 (2016) | 6 | 2 (2012, 2013) | 2 (2017, 2019) |
| Rangpur Rangers | 2013 – present | 1 (2017) | 0 | 6 | 2 (2015, 2019) | 3 (2013, 2016, 2019–2020) |
| Barisal Bulls | 2012 – 2016 | 0 | 2 (2012, 2015) | 4 | 0 | 2 (2013, 2016) |
| Chattogram Challengers | 2012 – present | 0 | 1 (2013) | 7 | 3 (2016, 2019, 2019–20) | 3 (2012, 2015, 2017) |
| Khulna Tigers | 2012 – present | 0 | 1 (2019–20) | 6 | 3 (2012, 2016, 2017) | 2 (2013, 2019) |
| Sylhet Thunder | 2012 – present | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 (2013) | 5 (2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2019–2020) |
Sponsorship[]
For the first season of the tournament, Bangladeshi conglomerate Destiny Group was the main sponsor of the tournament, negotiating a one-year sponsorship package for 75 million taka (US$1.0 million). Prime Bank Limited was awarded with the sponsorship deal for the second season for 100 million taka (US$1.5 million). BRB Cables Limited held the sponsorship rights for third season in 2015 with 150 million taka (US$2.0 million). Abul Khair Steel (AKS), a sister concern group of Abul Khair Industries Limited became the title sponsor of the fourth and fifth edition.
| Season | Sponsorship Rights | Gross Revenues Earned[14] | Broadcasting Rights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Destiny Group ৳7.5 crore (US$890,000) |
৳354.7 crore (US$42 million) | Channel Nine ৳632 crore (US$75 million) four-year broadcasting rights (2012–16)[15] |
| 2013 | Prime Bank Limited ৳10 crore (US$1.2 million) |
৳302 crore (US$36 million) | |
| 2015–16 | BRB Cables Industries Limited ৳15 crore (US$1.8 million) |
৳266.5 crore (US$32 million) | |
| 2016–17 | Abul Khair Steel (AKS) and Shah Cement ৳22 crore (US$2.6 million) |
৳433 crore (US$51 million) (2016–17) | |
| Unpublished | GTV and Maasranga ৳640 crore (US$76 million) three-year broadcasting rights (2017–2019)[16] | ||
| 2019–present | United Commercial Bank Ltd (UCB) and TVS Motor Company | ||
| Akash DTH and TVS Motor Company |
Broadcasters[]
BCB sells worldwide media rights for $20.02 million. The BCB has sold its worldwide media rights for the next six years, until April 2020, to Gazi TV for the price of $20.02 million.[17]
| Territory | Years | Television |
|---|---|---|
 Bangladesh
|
(2019–present) (2019–present) |
Gazi TV Maasranga TV |
 Afghanistan
|
(2019–present) | RTA Sports |
 Canada
|
(2019–present) | Hotstar Canada |
 Caribbean
|
(2019–present) | Flow Sports |
 India
|
(2019–present) | Fancode |
 Ireland
|
(2019–present) | BT Sport |
 Pakistan
|
(2019–present) | Geo Super |
 United Kingdom
|
(2019–present) | BT Sport |
 United States
|
(2019–present) | Hotstar US |
| Worldwide Internet Rights | (2019–present) | Rabbitholebd |
Source: [18]
See also[]
- List of Bangladesh Premier League captains
- List of Bangladesh Premier League records and statistics
- Bangladesh Cricket Board
- Big Bash League
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g The ownerships of all teams were temporarily held by the Bangladesh Cricket Board during the 2019–20 season
References[]
- ^ "BCB set to arrange BPL without the franchises this year". The Daily Star. Dhaka. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "No Bangladesh Premier League in 2020, confirms BCB chief". CricBuzz. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Afridi and Gayle fetch highest BPL prices". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ Pieal, Jannatul. "Rangpur cleared to bid again, BPL-3 may see eight teams". bdcricteam.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ Eighty-five players picked in BPL 2016–17 draft, ESPNcricinfo, 30 September 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ^ "BCB to conduct T20 tournament instead of BPL after fallout with franchises". Cricbuzz. 11 September 2019.
- ^ বিসিবিই চালাবে বিপিএল, থাকছে না কোনো ফ্র্যাঞ্চাইজি. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 11 September 2019.
- ^ বিপিএলের রাজা রাজশাহী. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Andre Russell's Rajashi Royals clinch maiden BPL trophy". The Indian Express. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "BPL 2015 players draft". Imagosports. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ "The business of sports". Dhaka Tribune. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Cricket Records | Bangladesh Premier League | Records | Series results". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Cricket Records | Bangladesh Premier League | Records | Result summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "How Much Did BCB Earn from BPL?". The Bengali Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ Isam, Mohammad. "BCB sells worldwide media rights for $20.02 million". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ বিপিএল-এর সম্প্রচার স্বত্ব ৮১ কোটিতে বিক্রি. anandabazar.com. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ "Ban Tech agency strikes deal for Bangladesh Cricket Board rights - SportsPro Media".
- ^ "Bangladesh Cricket Board secures global deal with Gazi TV". 19 May 2014.
- Bangladesh Premier League
- Twenty20 cricket leagues
- Recurring sporting events established in 2012
- 2012 establishments in Bangladesh
- Cricket player auction
- Professional cricket leagues