Cricketers satisfied with BCB’s BPL explanation

The much-awaited meeting between the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) took place at the board premises yesterday, with cricketer Nasir Hossain saying afterwards that the players had been informed the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) would not take place this season.

Nasir, who was banned from all forms of cricket in 2024 before returning to cricket last year, represented the cricketers and CWAB during the media briefing following the meeting.

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“BPL is not happening, that’s mostly certain. The cricket board talked to us and we are certain that the BPL is not taking place this time,” Nasir told reporters after the meeting with the BCB.

Players have proposed organising a new tournament during the BPL window to compensate for their potential loss of income.

“We wanted a tournament during the one-and-a-half month BPL [window]. But it has not been decided whether a tournament will take place,” he said, adding that further discussions with the BCB would take place.

One player told The Daily Star that both the cricketers and the BCB had put forward proposals, although nothing had been finalised. With players set to suffer financially in the absence of a major tournament such as the BPL, the cricketer said the NCL T20 was the most likely alternative to be held during the BPL window, given the difficulty of introducing a new tournament into an already packed schedule.

Nasir said the cricketers were satisfied with the discussions and the BCB's explanation.

“The board has explained well why the BPL is not taking place. We are discussing what can take place in BPL’s place since without BPL, the players will face a financial crisis. We discussed what the board can do [for compensation].”