Bangladesh Premier League
Bangladesh Premier League: participating teams
Chattogram Challengers
0
Fortune Barishal
0
Bangladesh Premier League - all about the tournament
The Bangladesh Premier League (abbreviated as BPL) is one of the country’s three professional cricket leagues and is the 16th most attended globally. It includes seven franchise teams. A draft carries out the recruitment of players. They can be re-signed, as well as exchange between teams.
The predecessor of the BPL was the T20 National Cricket League. After a global reform in 2011, major changes were made to the charter, and a six-year agreement with Game on Sports Group turned the BPL into a franchise tournament in which teams from the largest cities in Bangladesh take part. Dhaka and Chittagong took over the new format matches. The debut season began in February 2012. The first games were held at the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The draw was opened by the teams of Sylhet and Barisal.
The Rangpur Riders joined the tournament in the second season. At the same time, the infrastructure was expanded: the complex of the city of Khulna entered the list of stadiums that constantly host league matches.
The most titled team in the league is the Dhaka Dynamites (formerly called the Dhaka Gladiators). It has three trophies on its account, two of which were issued in a row. Excluding the capital club, only three league teams won the draw’s final – namely the Comilla Victorians, the Rangpur Riders and current champions the Rajshahi Royals. The 2020 draw has been postponed due to the spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2012-2013 season was marred by a scandal and a series of litigations. The owners of the six founding teams were dismissed on charges of systematic rule violations and delayed players’ salaries. The management group Dhaka Gladiators received a lifetime ban, as many players were charged with match-fixing. Among them was the former captain of the national team Mohammad Ashraful.
The next Bangladesh Premier League draw took place only in 2014. Six new franchise teams took part in it, the strongest of which turned out to be the Comilla Victorians, who overtook their rivals by three wickets. Two seasons later, another team, the Sylhet Super Stars, was suspended due to league disciplinary violations. The Khulna Titans and Rajshahi Kings took the vacant place, and since then, the BPL roster has changed only once. Sylhet’s team returned to the competition under a new name (the Sylhet Sixers), and Barisal left due to serious financial problems.
Bangladesh Premier League: organization and participants
The BPL draw starts in November. At the first stage, the participating teams meet twice. After its completion, the four of them who took the highest places in the table go to the playoff, which includes one elimination game and two qualifying matches, the winners of which later meet in the final, where the best team of the season will be recognized.
The Bangladesh Premier League is a self-funded association of participating teams. Income is generated from television rights allocations, licensing agreements, sponsorships, match ticket sales and other related items and is distributed by the Bangladesh Cricket Council. The main oversight organization is the GC (Greg Chappell Cricket Centre), whose members are appointed directly by the Cricket Council.
The BBL is represented by seven teams on an ongoing basis:
| Team | City | League debut | Acting coach | Acting captain |
| Chattogram Challengers | Chittagong | 2012 | Paul Nixon | Mahmudulla |
| Comilla Warriors | Comilla | 2015 | Ottis Gibson | Soumya Sarkar |
| Dhaka Platoon | Dhaka | 2012 | Mohammad Salahuddin | Mashrafeh Mortaza |
| Khulna Tigers | Khulna | 2012 | James Foster | Mushfikur Rahim |
| Rajshahi Royals | Rajshahi | 2012 | Owais Shah | Andre Russell |
| Rangpur Rangers | Rangpur | 2013 | Mark O’Donnell | Shane Watson |
| Sylhet Thunder | Sylhet | 2012 | Herschel Gibbs | Andre Fletcher |
Bangladesh Premier League: Team Stats
Most of the Bangladesh Premier League trophies are on account of the team from Dhaka (3). The Comilla Victorians (2) took the second place, The Rangpur Riders and the Rajshahi Royals became the league winners once.
The Chattogram Challengers played the most matches (86). However, the most effective team in the league are not they, but all the same Dhakans (59, 78% of wins). This is followed by:
- The Comilla Warriors (37 wins in 64 matches);
- The Rangpur Rangers (40 wins in 77 matches);
- The Rajshahi Royals (40 wins in 78 matches);
- The Barisal Bulls (24 wins in 49 matches);
- The Khulna Tigers (34 wins in 75 matches);
- The Chattogram Challengers (39 wins in 86 matches);
- The Sylhet Thunder (24 wins in 69 matches).
Shakib Al Hasan, who alternately represented the Khulna Royal Bengals, the Dhaka Gladiators and the Dhaka Dynamites, was named player of the tournament three times. In addition to him, the prestigious awards were given to:
- Ashar Zaidi ( the Comilla Victorians) – season 2015-2016;
- Mahmudullah ( the Khulna Titans) – season 2016-2017;
- Chris Gale ( the Rangpur Riders) – 2017-2018 season;
- André Russell ( the Rajshahi Royals) – season 2019-2020.
