The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is in turmoil as financial mismanagement, player boycotts, and match-fixing allegations rock the ongoing 2024-25 season. The league’s declining viewership had already raised concerns, but recent revelations about franchise owners prioritising hiring foreign female hosts over player payments have further damaged the league’s credibility.
Despite being the most financially significant competition for local cricketers, the BPL has always been plagued by payment issues. This time, however, the situation has surpassed all previous limits. Several teams have not paid their players as per the regulations.
Several overseas players have refused to take the field due to non-payment of match fees. Among them, a group of foreign players from Durbar Rajshahi has outrightly boycotted matches, demanding their salaries.
Rajshahi has been accused of only paying a quarter of the players’ dues for this BPL season when the tournament rules mandate clearing 75 per cent of the payment during the season. In protest, all overseas players sat out of Sunday’s match against Rangpur Riders and Taskin had to lead an all-local team.
Former England batter Dawid Malan, who is playing for Fortune Barishal, has openly criticised the franchise owners for failing to meet their financial obligations. Speaking after the Khulna Tigers vs Fortune Barishal match on January 27, where he played a match-winning knock of 63 off 37 balls to help his team chase 188 runs, Malan addressed the issue in a press conference saying, “Wherever you play, you want the basics to be done right. Our job is to play cricket, and someone else’s job is to ensure we’re paid. If you have money, take a team. If you don’t, then don’t—it’s as simple as that. These issues shouldn’t happen, and it’s something that can be easily controlled.”
Malan clarified that his team, Fortune Barishal, is not facing these issues, but his comments have sparked reactions from other cricketers. Australian cricketer William Bosisto, representing Khulna Tigers, also expressed his disappointment over the situation.
“We were given the cheque today. We will place it today. One can hope it goes through. If the cheque bounces like this wicket, we are in trouble,” Taskin Ahmed, captain Team Rajshahi said.
One of the most controversial aspects of the ongoing season has been the BPL owners’ extravagant spending on foreign female hosts instead of focusing on player salaries and improving the league’s infrastructure. Among them, Yesha Sagar, a foreign female presenter, has been a prominent face of the tournament. While leagues across the world invest in player welfare and grassroots development, BPL’s misplaced priorities have only fueled resentment among players and fans.
Notably, Yesha Sagar is a Canadian model, actress and fitness influencer. She began her career in Punjabi music industry in 2017 through her friend while she was in school. She has been appeared in more than 30 music videos including Punjabi and Hindi/Telugu. She will also be seen playing a role of single-mother in a bilingual short film.
Reports also suggest that due to financial issues, local players have resorted to match-fixing. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is now under immense pressure to take action.
Earlier, Veteran South African spinner Imran Tahir also made to the headlines for his comments at the toss ahead of the game between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Rangpur Riders in Global Super League. He openly addressed unpaid dues from his time with the Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League. Speaking at the toss, Tahir candidly expressed his frustration, revealing that the unresolved financial issue had become a personal motivation for him to perform at his best in the Global Super League encounter.
Radical Islam on the rise in Bangladesh
The chaos in the BPL comes at a time when Bangladesh is grappling with serious internal crises. Political instability, economic crisis, and the increasing influence of radical Islam have created unrest across the country. The recent escalation of extremist activities, targeting minorities, attacking their religious places has raised also raised serious concerns across the country.
The declining state of sports and entertainment infrastructure, exemplified by the BPL crisis, is just another reflection of Bangladesh’s broader governance issues and radicalisation on the rise.
