Bangladesh Cricket Board is planning to introduce the ‘players by choice’ system for the upcoming third edition of Bangladesh Premier League instead of traditional players’ auction, officials said on Sunday. The new edition of BPL is scheduled to be held from November 22 to December 15 after two years gap. The BCB also planned to make it a six-team affair and has invited bid from interested parties to own franchises.
Officials said they are getting good response from the bidders, who have to submit their interest by August 17.
A BCB director on Sunday said they already explained the potential bidders about how they are planning to go ahead with the tournament, marred by match-fixing and payment scandals.
One of the new plans include a complete overhaul in players’ recruitment system, he said.
The BCB held auctions for the first two editions when franchises bought players at prices that sometimes appeared unrealistic. Many players alleged that the franchises did not play even half of their auctioned prices, putting a question a mark on the tournament.
The BCB had to pay the overseas players from its own exchequer in order to save its image.
The BCB could not recover the money from the franchises, which compelled it to terminate their contracts and invite fresh bids.
To make it convenient for the new franchises, the BCB decided to put a cap on their expenditure and revise the players’ recruitment system by introducing ‘players by choice’ system.
The BCB used the system, a somewhat complex one, in 2012-13 season for the Dhaka Premier League.
In the DPL, selected 189 players were divided in the seven groups and each group had separate price tag.
The clubs had to take part in a lottery to determine their calling number for each category.
BCB believe it will help the teams plan with a certain budget, which cannot exceed Tk 4.4core this season.
‘We want to host the BPL thinking in line of our economy,’ BPL member-secretary Ismail Haider told New Age.
‘It’s meaningless for players to be sold in an exorbitant price and get nothing in the end,’ he said.
Players also welcomed the move of slashing prices as they believe that will ensure them getting their payments.
‘I think it’s better to get what we are quoted than being sold highly only to get very little,’ said Mahmudullah, who captained Chittagong Kings in the first two editions of BPL.
‘It’s up to the board to decide what our prices should be and I am convinced we won’t be under-paid,’ he said.
According to the proposed new pay-scale for BPL, highest payment for a local player will be Tk 30 lakh.
As far as foreign players are concerned highest payment of a player can be raised up to $70,000 though BCB is in favour of keeping it limited to $50,000.
‘Suppose we want to have Chris Gayle, one foreign player on our priority list and he doesn’t want to participate for less than $70000. We don’t want to lose him for $20000,’ said a BCB director preferred not to be named.
‘As far as local players are concerned we have decided not to increase it from Tk 30 lakh,’ he said.
A team will be allowed to buy maximum seven foreign players but can field four in each game.
-With New Age input
