BPL to be played under revenue-sharing model

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media committee chairman Amzad Hossain informed on Wednesday that the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will be played under a revenue-sharing model for a five-year cycle. He also said that November 17 is the tentative date for the BPL draft.

On October 11, BCB opened the EOI process for acquisition of Franchise Ownership Rights for the BPL.

Speaking to journalists at Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) offices, Amzad provided updates on the BPL.

"The EOI (Expression of Interest) is already in place. The last date for submission is the 28th. All applicants must submit their documents along with a Tk 2 crore pay order, which will be converted into the franchise fee for the first year. If an application is rejected or a franchise is not offered, the amount will be refunded on the next working day," he said.

Teams will be required to provide a Tk 10 crore bank guarantee, while the franchise fee will rise by 15 percent every year.

"As the rights will be awarded for five years, the fee will increase annually by 15 percent," Amzad explained. "A bank guarantee of Tk 10 crore, valid for six months, is mandatory."

The new media committee chairman also disclosed that the BPL will be played under a revenue-sharing structure.

"The prize money for the champions will be Tk 2.75 crore, while the runners-up will receive Tk 1.75 crore. In addition, 30 per cent of the net profit from three major revenue streams -- worldwide media rights, ground rights, and ticket sales -- will be distributed among the franchises," Amzad said.

The BPL sought to avoid clashes with other leagues so that foreign players could be available, making it an attractive tournament. Yet, time constraints mean the BPL will now be organised in a very short span.

Asked whether scheduling clashes with other leagues would be an issue, Amzad said: "Over the past two years, the IL and SA20 leagues have overlapped with the BPL, yet we still saw several prominent T20 players take part. We expect no issues this time either."