Champions Rajshahi receive prize money, Chattogram get bonus

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) honoured its commitment, releasing the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) prize money, with champions Rajshahi Warriors finally receiving their full dues.

In another major relief, players and coaches of runners-up Chattogram Royals were paid 40% of their bonus, easing months of financial uncertainty.

Previously, BPL Governing Council member secretary Iftekhar Rahman Mithu said the board will have to spend around Tk4 crore from its own funds to cover the operational costs of Chattogram Royals.

“We have spent around Tk9 crore for the Chattogram Royals,” Mithu told Daily Sun on Monday.

“We received Tk3 crore from the franchise that left midway through the tournament and expect another Tk2 crore from other sources, including runner-up prize money and ticket revenue sharing,” he added.

Mithu confirmed that 50% of the players’ payments have already been cleared, with the remainder set to be paid soon.

“The players will also receive Tk2 lakh as a winning bonus for every match they win. The board will further provide a percentage of the runner-up prize money to the team,” he said.

Despite off-field turmoil, Chattogram impressed on the pitch, finishing second in the league phase and reaching the final, where they lost by 63 runs to Rajshahi.

After tax, the BCB will need to allocate Tk7.64 crore for wages of local and overseas players, as well as coaching and support staff, in addition to travel, accommodation, catering and daily allowances.

Under the franchise agreement, each team was required to pay a Tk2 crore franchise fee. However, Triangular Services provided only Tk1 crore from the original Tk10 crore guarantee.

A portion of the Tk1.75 crore runner-up prize money will be distributed among Chattogram players as performance rewards by the BCB.

Rajshahi, meanwhile, were paid in full after clinching the title dominantly. They topped the league table, recovered from a first-qualifier defeat, won the second qualifier and then outplayed Chattogram in the final.

As champions, Rajshahi received Tk2.75 crore in prize money, while Chattogram earned Tk1.75 crore as runners-up.