The 14th edition of the National Cricket League (NCL), beginning on October 14, which will take place on a franchise-based system, is scheduled to
witness a series of sponsorship-related deals for the franchises today.
The country’s lone first-class competition, which has been starving for sponsors over the years, might see money finally injected into the competition and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president AHM Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday stated that a majority of the eight teams in the NCL are set to get sponsors.
“Several organisations have already given us their word. We just need to sign an official deal with some of them in the coming days,” he said.
The President named Prime Bank, Islami Bank, Walton and City Bank as the organisations who have expressed their interest in sponsoring the franchises. “I am confident that at least six out of the eight franchises will get sponsors this year,” said Kamal. Earlier, the BCB had decided to convert the NCL into a franchise-based tournament claiming that such a move would increase competition among the teams. The BCB also decided to introduce day-night games, which are to be played with pink balls, this year. The board has also brought a large number of players under the BCB salary structure this year.
The lack of preparation for the league, however, has attracted criticism. With a little more than a week left for the beginning of the league, several important components remain uncertain. The fixtures for instance haven’t yet been confirmed. Players in many divisions have either not started practising or are depending upon insufficient facilities for their training.
The changes made by the BCB for this year’s NCL was an attempt to base the league on more professional grounds.
-With The Daily Star input
