Prime Bank NCL’s first franchisee

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has penned a Memorandum of Understanding with Prime Bank Foundation, a subsidiary of Prime Bank, for the upcoming National Cricket League (National Cricket League). According to the agreement, Prime Bank Foundation has received a franchisee license to operate an NCL team for the next ten years. The Bank will have to pay a yearly amount of TK 50 lakh to maintain its franchisee rights.
The MoU confirms Prime Bank’s participation in the NCL. It, however, does not state the team that it will be operating. “We’ll come to know about the team that has been assigned to us once the BCB gets more sponsors. We, however, prefer the Khulna Division,” said Dr. Iqbal Anwar, chief executive officer of Prime Bank Foundation.
While the extent of the sponsors’ control over its respective division is yet to be clarified by the BCB, the sponsors are expected to handle the management aspects of the club. “We’ll be nurturing the players and we’ll also be paying their salary based on the grades assigned by the BCB. This isn’t like the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20. Our aim here is more time-bound and focused on the development of players, rather than immediate financial profit,” said Tanjil Chowdhury, vice-chairman o Prime Bank Limited.
In order to run the league in the new format, the BCB formed a governing council last night. The council has been formed with representatives from different divisions with the apparent aim to create a BPL-style format for the first-class competition.
As of today, Prime Bank is the only company to have signed a deal with the BCB. BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal however expects at least five other organisations to follow suit. The first match of the NCL is scheduled to take place on October 14. The delay in signing franchisee agreements has threatened the league’s timely beginning. The league fixtures are yet to be finalised.
Earlier this year, the BCB had decided to conduct the 14th NCL on a franchise basis in order to make the league more competitive. Of the eight teams participating in the league, six are expected to get sponsors. The rest will be run by their respective divisions.