‘Better not to hold BPL than run it badly’

Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) ad-hoc committee head Tamim Iqbal has issued a blunt warning — if the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) cannot be run properly with credible franchises, the board should not hold the tournament at all.

Tamim, speaking alongside BPL chairman Fahim Sinha at a press conference Thursday, did not mince words as he laid out a damning picture of years of mismanagement in the country's premier T20 competition.

"If we don't get a proper franchise, I don't think we should do the BPL. It is better not to do it than to do it like last time," Tamim said.

The former Bangladesh captain stressed that the core problem plaguing BPL year after year was the failure to select financially sound and trustworthy franchise owners.

He pointed out that in 12 editions, the issue of player non-payment had surfaced almost every single time.

"In 14 years, this one topic has come up 14 times — financial. Not getting money, not giving money. The best way to fix this is to get the right franchise," he said.

Tamim also called for accountability from those who awarded franchises in breach of BCB's own rules, including former governing council chairman and president Aminul Islam Bulbul, who presided over the most recent edition.

He argued that knowingly breaking rules was not a mistake — it was a crime.

"If you had maintained all the rules and the tournament failed, then it is okay. But you are sitting in charge and failing every rule," he added.

Tamim, however, was careful to separate his frustration from his belief in BPL's potential, calling it "a fantastic product" that has produced many Bangladesh national team players.