BPL draft not before October

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will not be able to hold the players' draft for the next edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) before October, newly appointed BPL Governing Council Chairman Mahbub Anam informed the media on Wednesday.

Following the expiration of all BPL-related contracts after the last edition of the tournament, the BCB plans to issue a new Expression of Interest (EOI) to induct new franchises for a five-year period. As part of this revamp, the board is studying how other franchise-based leagues are managed to strengthen its own operations and bring the BPL up to international standards.

"We are hoping that in August we will be starting the process of taking in new franchises. In September we have a schedule to appoint these new franchises," Mahbub said.

"We have a timeline. I believe the draft will not take place before October. If we can complete our schedules then in October we can go for draft," he added regarding the players' draft.

Mahbub also revealed that the tender process to appoint a sports management company will begin next week.

"We are also studying how the different franchise tournaments are being run. We have gotten some guidelines from the board and from that we will go to a tender process for event management or sports management company. They will give us direction, structure our financial model so that it's sustainable," he said.

The BCB also plans to conduct an audit of all venues that have hosted international matches, including stadiums in Bogura and Khulna. After the audit, the board will consult with the National Sports Council (NSC) to determine if these venues meet the required standards for inclusion in the upcoming BPL.