The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has been a major part of the cricketing landscape since its inception in 2012. Initially designed to follow the successful model of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the BPL aimed to entertain and engage cricket fans while generating significant revenue for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
BPL’s first few seasons were financially promising, with the board seeing substantial profits. For example, the inaugural season brought in over 33 crore takas in revenue, resulting in a profit of 32 crore takas for BCB. The second season added another 33 crore takas to BCB’s profits. However, after these early successes, things began to unravel.
Fast forward to the sixth season, BPL recorded its highest expenses in history – a staggering 83 crore takas. Comparatively, even large-scale international events like the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh cost far less, raising concerns over how BPL’s expenses skyrocketed.
Now, looking back at 10 seasons of BPL, BCB’s total revenue stands at nearly 497 crore takas, with expenditures of 278 crore takas. This should leave 219 crore takas in profits. However, upon review, only 113 crore takas can be accounted for in BCB’s records, leaving an unexplained gap of 106 crore takas.
The mystery of this missing 106 crore has raised eyebrows, as the cricket board struggles to provide clarity on where this money has gone. While the BPL has grown into one of the most popular T20 leagues, this financial discrepancy casts a shadow over its success. What happens next is crucial for BCB’s transparency and the future of the BPL.