Most of the franchises of the Bangladesh Premier League are yet to submit their overseas players’ payment sheets to the governing council despite the deadline ended on Wednesday.
The BPL authority asked for the sheets after many foreign players had complained that they did not receive their full payment, which tainted Bangladesh’s image abroad.
‘Only Chittagong Kings and Sylhet Royals have provided us their payment update and we are now waiting for the others to follow suit,’ Gazi Ashraf Hossain, chairman of the BPL governing council, told reporters.
Ashraf said they will ask for statements of accounts from other franchises today and will sit with them on Saturday to see their progress regarding the payments of the foreign players.
‘We are also keeping in touch with the players’ agents so that we can get the real picture. Apart from that a signed copy of the players’ confirmation is needed to be submitted by the franchises.
‘If they cannot provide that the franchises will have to show us al least the details of their e-mail communication with the players,’ he said.
Of the franchises, Barisal Burners claimed that they are yet to receive the foreign currency transfer certificate from the Bangladesh Bank and officials said they will clear the payment as soon as they get it.
‘We have our money deposited in a local bank. As soon as we get the Bangladesh Bank clearance, we will transfer the money to the players’ account,’ said an official of Burners, the controversial finalists of the inaugural edition.
Duronto Rajshahi owner Mushfiqur Rahman Mohan admitted that they had not finished their player payments but promised they would complete them within a day or two.
Khulna Royal Bengals official Khalid Masud Chowdhury claimed they have already cleared their overseas players’ payment, though he could not explain why they had failed to provide the governing council with the payment sheet.
While Khulna Royal Bengals claimed to have completed the foreign players’ payment but it was alleged that they approached their local players for an underhand dealing.
All-rounder Nasir Hossain, the most expensive local cricketer after the icons, alleged that the officials of the franchise had offered him to accept Tk 35 lakh when they still owed Tk 1.08 crore to him.
Nasir, who was sold at a staggering $200,000 at the BPL auction, was supposed to get Tk 1.44 crore from the franchise after 10 per cent tax deduction from his income. But he said that he was so far given only Tk 38 lakh.
It is not the franchises that have become defaulters alone. The BPL governing council has yet to pay their dues to many organisations, complicating the situation further.
It was learnt that they have not yet cleared the transport bill of Tk 44 lakh, Ansar bill of Tk 24 lakh, archway metal bill of Tk 8 lakh and CC camera bill of Tk 1,95 lakh.
Governing body chief Ashraf said they would clear all the dues and asked all hold their patience.
‘The BPL will be a regular event so they don’t need to worry. They just have to hold their patience,’ said Ashraf.
-With New Age input
