Bangladesh Premier League, also known as BPL is a professional T-20 cricket league organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. It 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 in February 2012, and the games were held across Dhaka and Chittagong. The BPL is headed by the chairman of its Governing Council.
 Bangladesh Premier League | |
| Countries | Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Bangladesh Cricket Board |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| First edition | 2012 |
| Latest edition | 2024 |
| Next edition | 2025 |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin and Playoffs |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Current champion | Fortune Barishal (1st title) |
| Most successful | Comilla Victorians (4 titles) |
| Most runs | Tamim Iqbal (3321) |
| Most wickets | Shakib Al Hasan (134) |
| TV | List of broadcasters |
| Website | bplt20.com.bd |
History
editFollowing 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.[1] 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, nine companies took part in the bidding process, with six winning the rights of each club.[2]
In July 2022, after the ICC accommodated the month of January and February for the BPL, in its ICC Future Tours Programme, the BCB announced the schedule of the BPL for the next three seasons.[3][4]
2012 (1st edition)
editThe first edition of the league officially kicked off on 9 February 2012, with a lavish opening ceremony at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.[5] 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 Chattogram.[6]
2013 (2nd edition)
editRangpur 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. For most of the matches, the MA Aziz Stadium, replaced the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram due to higher capacity and Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna (third-largest city) was added as the third venue.[7]
The owners of Dhaka Gladiators were handed a lifetime suspension by the governing committee.[8] A number of players and administrators were handed bans for match-fixing, including the former captain of Bangladesh, Mohammad Ashraful.[9]
2015 (3rd edition)
editFollowing the match-fixing scandal and political issues of the country the league was not played in the year 2014. It returned in 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. Leading up to the 2016–17 edition of the league, the Sylhet Super Stars, were suspended following breaches of disciplinary regulations,[10] and two new franchises, Khulna Titans and Rajshahi Kings, were introduced, bringing the number of teams in the competition back to seven
2016 (4th edition)
editThe 2016 BPL draft was held on 30 September. Prior to the draft, the seven clubs signed 38 foreign players to contracts and each existing franchise was able to retain two home-grown players from the 2015 season. A total 301 players participated in the draft, including 133 local and 168 foreign players. 85 players were selected in the draft. Dhaka Dynamites, captained by Shakib Al Hasan, topped the group stage table, whereas Rajshahi Kings, led by Darren Sammy, stood at the fourth position. Dynamites beat Khulna Titans in the Qualifier 1 and went to final. Rajshahi Kings defeated Chittagong Vikings and Khulna Titans respectively in Eliminator and Qualifier.
In Final after winning the toss, Kings' captain D. Sammy elected to field first. The Dynamites scored 159 runs in 20 overs with a loss of 9 wickets. They made 23 runs in the opening partnership. Evin Lewis top scored for the Dynamites with 45 runs. Kings' bowler Farhad Reza took 3 wickets for 28 runs. The Kings failed to build a good opening partnership. After scoring 60, they started losing wickets and couldn't hold on. The Dynamites won the match and their 1st title by a wide margin of 56 runs. Kumar Sangakkara was named the man of the match. This is the 3rd title for a Dhaka franchise in BPL.
Khulna Titans' skipper Mahmudullah was made the player of the tournament since he scored the second most runs (384) and defended less than 7 runs in the last over of the 2nd innings more than one instance.
2017 (5th edition)
editIt was the fifth season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The competition was organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and features seven teams from seven different cities. The season began on 4 November, and ended on 12 December 2017, with the defending champion, Dhaka Dynamites played against Sylhet Sixers in the first game at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
Barisal Bulls were excluded from the tournament, after failing financial terms and conditions.
Group stage matches was played in three blocks. The first and third blocks took place in Dhaka with the middle block of 10 matches taking place in Chittagong. Two matches was played on each day of the group stage part of the tournament. The first four matches of the tournament were washed out after heavy rain and the two matches scheduled to take place on 6 November were postponed. The tournament was restarted on 8 November with the first six fixtures to be rescheduled at a later date. The matches from the opening day of fixtures was replayed with the points table reset.
In Finale, Rangpur Riders defeated Dhaka Dynamites to win their first title. In the final match Chris Gayle was awarded the man of the match award and also won player of the series award. He was the leading run scorer in the tournament with 2 banger centuries (146* of 69 and 126 of 51 ) and a total tally of 485 runs. Shakib Al Hasan was the leading wicket taker with 22 wickets.
2019 (6th edition)
editOriginally, the season was scheduled to start on 1 October 2018 and end on 16 November 2018. However, in May 2018, it was reported that the tournament might be moved to January 2019, because of security concerns around the Bangladeshi general election, which took place in December 2018. In July 2018, it was confirmed that the tournament would start in January 2019. For this edition of the tournament, the Decision Review System (DRS) were used for the first time.
In the final match, Comilla Victorians defeated Dhaka Dynamites by 17 runs to win their second title. In the final match, Tamim Iqbal was awarded the man of the match award, after scoring 141 not out. Rilee Rossouw was the leading run scorer in the tournament with 558 runs. Shakib Al Hasan was the leading wicket taker with 22 wickets and also won the player of the tournament award.
2019-20 (7th edition)
editRajshahi Royals defeated Khulna Tigers by 21 runs in the final match. Royals skipper Andre Russell was elected as both Man of the match for the final and Player of the Tournament for his all-round performances and for leading his side to their maiden BPL title.[11][12]
2022 (8th edition)
editThe 2022 season was initially scheduled to start in March 2021.[13] However, the tournament was postponed and rescheduled to be held from 21 January to 18 February 2022.[14] In December 2021, all six teams were announced, with Rangpur Rangers and the defending champion Rajshahi Royals being excluded, a franchise from Barisal was included and Comilla Victorians also returned after a year's break.[15] Initially, Rupa Steel & Marn Group owned the Dhaka franchise, but a day before the players' draft their ownership was terminated due to non compliance of rules. However, the Minister Group took ownership of the franchise after the players' draft.[16] Due to the unavailability of technical teams the DRS system could not be used in this season. Initially, BCB decided to allow spectators this year, however, due to the rise of Omicron variants, the board backed out from its decision and decided to play behind closed doors.[17]
The two points table topper teams Fortune Barishal and Comilla Victorians reached the final. In the final, Comilla Victorians defended 151 runs to win their third title in a thrilling 1-run victory.[18] Sunil Narine was the Player of the Final for his all-round performances. Shakib Al Hasan, captain of the runners-up team, Fortune Barishal, received the Player of the Tournament award for his all-round performance, having scored 284 runs in 11 innings and picked up 16 wickets.[19]
2023 (9th edition)
editBCB announced the list of franchise owners in September 2022, with five of the previous six franchises retaining ownership and the return of Rangpur Riders after two seasons. On 24 December 2022, BCB announced the fixtures for this season with two matches to be played per day in the group stage and having reserve days for all of the knockout matches.
[20]In the final, Comilla Victorians defeated Sylhet Strikers by 7 wickets to win their second successive and overall fourth title.
2024 (10th edition)
editIt was one of the best seasons BPL has ever produced . With 3 Venues and 7 Teams this season produced so much competition and banger . Fortune Barishal had the strongest batting side of the tournament withstand a bunch of national Team Players . On the other side "Team of Bashundhara Group" Rangpur Riders with Sakib Al Hasan was also a Great Team . So the competition was thrilling between these 2 teams and at last Barishal Team came out victorious after knocking two table toppers.
League organisation
edit
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 [21gladesh Cricket Board]] appoints the GC's members.
As of the 2018–19 season, the league consists of seven franchises. Each team plays 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.
Teams
editFranchise history
editDraft system
editThe BPL operates a draft system to assign players to teams. Franchises can choose new players 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[21][22]
Tournament seasons and results
editFinals
editAll finals in the competition have been played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur.
| Season | Final | Player of the Tournament | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Result | Runner-up | ||
| 2012 Details |
Dhaka Gladiators 144/2 (15.4 overs) |
Dhaka Gladiators won by 8 wickets Scorecard |
Barisal Burners 140/7 (20 overs) |
Shakib Al Hasan (Khulna Royal Bengals) |
| 2013 Details |
Dhaka Gladiators 172/9 (20 overs) |
Dhaka Gladiators won by 43 runs Scorecard |
Chittagong Kings 129 (16.5 overs) |
Shakib Al Hasan (Dhaka Gladiators) |
| 2014 | (Cancelled due to 2014 Bangladesh Political Crisis)[23] | |||
| 2015 Details |
Comilla Victorians 157/7 (20 overs) |
Comilla Victorians won by 3 wickets Scorecard |
Barisal Bulls 156/4 (20 overs) |
Ashar Zaidi (Comilla Victorians) |
| 2016 Details |
Dhaka Dynamites 159/9 (20 overs) |
Dhaka Dynamites won by 56 runs Scorecard |
Rajshahi Kings 103 (17.4 overs) |
Mahmudullah (Khulna Titans) |
| 2017 Details |
Rangpur Riders 206/1 (20 overs) |
Rangpur Riders won by 57 runs Scorecard |
Dhaka Dynamites 149/9 (20 overs) |
Chris Gayle (Rangpur Riders) |
| 2019 Details |
Comilla Victorians 199/3 (20 overs) |
Comilla Victorians won by 17 runs Scorecard |
Dhaka Dynamites 182/9 (20 overs) |
Shakib Al Hasan (Dhaka Dynamites) |
| 2019-20 Details |
Rajshahi Royals 170/4 (20 overs) |
Rajshahi Royals won by 21 runs Scorecard |
Khulna Tigers 149/8 (20 overs) |
Andre Russell (Rajshahi Royals) |
| 2020 | (Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)[24] | |||
| 2021 | ||||
| 2022 Details |
Comilla Victorians 151/9 (20 overs) |
Comilla Victorians won by 1 run Scorecard |
Fortune Barishal 150/8 (20 overs) |
Shakib Al Hasan (Fortune Barishal) |
| 2023 Details |
Comilla Victorians 176/3 (19.2 overs) |
Comilla Victorians won by 7 wickets Scorecard |
Sylhet Strikers 175/7 (20 overs) |
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Sylhet Strikers) |
| 2024 Details |
Fortune Barishal 157/4 (19 overs) |
Fortune Barishal won by 6 wickets Scorecard |
Comilla Victorians 154/6 (20 overs) |
Tamim Iqbal Khan (Fortune Barishal) |
Overall team performances
edit- As of 5 April 2024
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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune Barishal | 89 | 49 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 55.68% |
| Chittagong Kings | 124 | 55 | 67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 45.53% |
| Comilla Victorians | 105 | 65 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 63.46% |
| Dhaka Capitals | 127 | 63 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.40% |
| Khulna Tigers | 111 | 47 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42.73% |
| Rangpur Riders | 105 | 58 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55.24% |
| Sylhet Strikers | 107 | 40 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 38.10% |
| Durbar Rajshahi | 78 | 40 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51.28% |
Note:
- Tie&W and Tie&L indicate matches tied and then won or lost by "Super Over"
- The win percentage excludes no results.
Overall team standings
edit| Season (No. of Teams) |
2012 (6) |
2013 (7) |
2015 (6) |
2016 (7) |
2017 (7) |
2019 (7) |
2019-20 (7) |
2022 (6) |
2023 (7) |
2024 (7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittagong Kings | 5th | RU | 6th | PO | 7th | PO | 7th | PO | ||
| Comilla Victorians | DNP | C | 6th | PO | C | 5th | C | RU | ||
| Dhaka Capitals | C | PO | C | RU | PO | 5th | 6th | 7th | ||
| Fortune Barishal | RU | 5th | RU | 7th | DNP | RU | PO | C | ||
| Khulna Tigers | SF | 7th | DNP | PO | 7th | RU | PO | 5th | ||
| Durbar Rajshahi | SF | PO | DNP | RU | 6th | 5th | C | DNP | ||
| Rangpur Riders | DNP | 5th | PO | 5th | C | PO | 6th | DNP | PO | PO |
| Sylhet Strikers | 6th | PO | 5th | DNP | 5th | 6th | 7th | 6th | RU | 6th |
- C: champions
- RU: runner-up
- SF or PO: team qualified for the semi-final or play-off stage of the competition
- DNP: Did not participate
Team performances
edit| Teams | Seasons | Appearances | Champion(s) | Runner–up(s) | Playoffs | League Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comilla Victorians | 2015–2024 | 7 | 4 (2015, 2019, 2022, 2023) |
1 (2024) | 1 | 2 |
| Dhaka Capitals | 2012–present | 9 | 3 (2012, 2013, 2016) |
2 (2017, 2019) |
2 | 1 |
| Fortune Barishal | 2012–present | 6 | 1 (2024) |
3 (2012, 2015, 2019) |
1 | 2 |
| Durbar Rajshahi | 2012–present | 6 | 1 (2019–20) |
1 (2016) |
2 | 2 |
| Rangpur Riders | 2013–present | 7 | 1 (2017) |
0 | 3 | 3 |
| Chittagong Kings | 2012–present | 9 | 0 | 1 (2013) |
4 | 3 |
| Khulna Tigers | 2012–present | 8 | 0 | 1 (2019–20) |
4 | 2 |
| Sylhet Strikers | 2012–present | 8 | 0 | 1 (2023) |
1 | 6 |
Rivalries
editDhaka Capitals–Comilla Victorians Rivalry (BPL Clásico)
editThe Dhaka–Comilla rivalry is a cricket rivalry between two franchises, Dhaka Capitals and Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). They are the two most successful teams in BPL winning a combined 7 titles out of the 10 BPL seasons.Dhaka and Comilla have historically engaged in some of the most iconic clashes in the BPL.
Sponsorship
editFor 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 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 editions.
| Season | Sponsorship Rights | Gross Revenues Earned[27] | Broadcasting Rights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Destiny Group ৳7.5 crore (US$630,000) |
৳35.47 crore (US$3.0 million) | Channel Nine ৳63.2 crore (US$5.3 million) four-year broadcasting rights (2012–16)[28] |
| 2013 | Prime Bank Limited ৳10 crore (US$840,000) |
৳30.2 crore (US$2.5 million) | |
| 2015–16 | BRB Cables Industries Limited ৳15 crore (US$1.3 million) |
৳26.65 crore (US$2.2 million) | |
| 2016–17 | Abul Khair Steel (AKS) and Shah Cement ৳22 crore (US$1.8 million) |
৳43.3 crore (US$3.6 million) (2016–17) | |
| Unpublished | GTV and Maasranga ৳64 crore (US$5.3 million) three-year broadcasting rights (2017–2019)[29] | ||
| 2019–present | United Commercial Bank Ltd (UCB) and TVS Motor Company | ||
| Akash DTH and TVS Motor Company | |||
| 2022 | BBS Cables and Walton | GTV and T Sports | |
| 2023[30] | M. M. Ispahani Limited and Minister Group | Nagorik TV ৳35 crore (US$2.9 million) broadcasting rights only for 2023 edition[31] |
Broadcasters
editAs of 2024 the competition is broadcast in a number of countries.
| Territory | Channels and streaming | Digital Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | T Sports | RabbitholeBD T Sports app |
| Nagorik | ||
| India | Zoom (Indian TV channel) | FanCode |
| Pakistan | Ten Sports | Tapmad TV Hum TV |
| Caribbean | Willow | |
| United Kingdom | Willow | Rabbithole YouTube |
| United States | Willow | |
| Southeast Asia (SEA) | Cricbuzz | |
| Middle East & North Africa (MENA) | Cricbuzz | |
| Rest of the World | Rabbithole YouTube |
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Responsible Gambling - Bluechip India". 12 January 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "BPL franchise ownership finalised". Financial Express (Dhaka). 11 January 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2024 – via Newsbank.
- ^ "BCB to sell BPL franchise rights for 3 years - Sports - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Dates for next 3 BPL seasons finalised". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Afridi and Gayle fetch highest BPL prices". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Bangladesh Premier League 2012 schedule, live scores and results". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Bangladesh Premier League 2013 schedule, live scores and results". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Pieal, Jannatul. "RanPL-3 may see eight teams". bdcricteam.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Ashraful banned for match-fixing". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Eighty-five players picked in BPL 2016–17 draft". ESPNcricinfo. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^ 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 8 to be held in March 2021!". Daily Cricket. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "BPL starts on January 21". Daily Cricket. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "BPL 2022 franchises finalised, not team from Rajshahi or Rangpur". Bdcrictime.com. Dhaka. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ Haque, Maksud (12 January 2022). "Dhaka's ownership has been finalised". bdcrictime.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ "No DRS in BPL". The Daily Star. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ "All-round Narine leads Comilla to title as Barishal collapse with finish line in sight". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ "Victorians beat Barishal Victorians won by 1 run - Victorians vs Barishal, Bangladesh Premier League, Final Match Summary, Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Bangladesh Premier League 2023 full fixtures: Dates, time, venues". The Daily Star. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "BPL 2015 players draft". Imagosports. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ "The business of sports". Dhaka Tribune. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ bimalmirwani (25 October 2013). "No BPL in 2014?". Batting with Bimal. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "No BPL in 2020: BCB president". UNB. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Cricket Records | Bangladesh Premier League | Records | Result summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "Cricket Records | Bangladesh Premier League | Records | Series results". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "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 Patrika. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ "BPL to be aired in 15 countries including Bangladesh | Sports". BSS. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ "BCB to earn huge amount from BPL". daily-sun. January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Facebook". mobile.facebook.com. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Life, Khan Mutasim Billah. "Broadcast details for BPL 2024". www.bdcrictime.com. Retrieved 22 January 2024.