BCB to resurrect controversial Bangladesh Premier League

BCB to resurrect controversial Bangladesh Premier League: The cricket officials of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Wednesday that it has planned to relaunch the T20 tournament Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) two years after it was ceased due to match-fixing controversies.

The T20 tournament which started in 2012 was suspended indefinitely in its second season due to the match-fixing scandal involving the names of former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and four other players. The BPL that attracted many worthy cricketers from around the world was also stained by salary issues that included franchises failing to pay the match fees to dozens of players.

But the Bangladesh officials declared that the new event will be starting on November 24 introducing six new franchises which includes Dhaka and Chittagong, backed up by big companies.

In a Press conference in Dhaka the BPL secretary Ismail Haider said, “This time we’ve big companies buying franchises. So hopefully players’ payment won’t be an issue from now on. We are confident BPL will attract some of the best cricketers on earth.”

Haider also made it clear that any match-fixing threats will be looked upon by anti-corruption officers, “We have our own anti-graft unit, which is fully functional.”

After 2012 spot-fixing case, a hearing was set up by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and BCB that found Ashraful and the four players guilty. The list of guilty players included the name of New Zealand batsman, Lou Vincent.

The members of the Federation of International Cricketer’s Association (FICA), have been warned to participate in the tournament last year itself due to the extended non-payment of the match fees.

Although, BCB said that it has cleared the levies of almost all the players who were a part of the league earlier. And has assured that the problem won’t be repeated as the new franchises have provided bank guarantees.