BCB to bar tainted names as five BPL teams confirmed
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) vice-president Shakhawat Hossain said on Tuesday that the board is set to send letters to certain players and officials allegedly involved in irregularities during last year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), instructing them not to participate in the upcoming season in an effort to safeguard the tournament's integrity.
The move comes following recommendations from the Independent Inquiry Committee formed earlier this year to investigate reported anomalies in the 2024 BPL.
According to Shakhawat, the letters will be issued by Alex Marshall, the board's anti-corruption consultant and former head of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), ahead of the BPL players' draft scheduled for November 17.
"The letter will be sent on November 15 as the players draft is scheduled on November 17," Shakhawat told Cricbuzz. "We want everything finalized before the drafting. I mentioned this in yesterday's board meeting. We'll take action based on priorities and severities.
"'Letter means he will communicate personally and moreover, we will make sure that people who have allegations against their names can't participate in the BPL," he said.
"The report we received has been sent to Alex Marshall. After that, he will create a charge sheet depending on the gravity of allegations against those people. Basically, he will communicate with them directly," he said, adding that they are assessing the severity of the allegations before sending the letters.
"It will depend on the severity of the allegation, basically like there might be some allegations that are nothing but doubts. There are a few who might face allegations backed by doubts, proofs, and even a formal charge frame. It will completely depend on the gravity and how Alex Marshall deals with it from the ICC," he added.
The vice-president further stated that anyone proven to be involved in wrongdoing during the previous BPL will be completely barred from all cricket-related activities.
"If we find any proof against a management group or individual based on the charge frame, none of them will be allowed to stay involved - not at the stadium, not at the games, not even within cricket," said Shakhawat.
Shakhawat also said that BCB has sought ICC assistance in the franchise selection process for the upcoming BPL season.
"The first criteria are financial solvency, then integrity," he explained. "Law enforcement clearance is also important. Those who have solid team management structures and a genuine link with cricket were given priority to be part of BPL."
Meanwhile, the BCB on Wednesday finalized five teams for the upcoming cycle of the tournament, scheduled from December 19 to January 16.
Eleven parties had expressed interest in taking part, out of which five were selected based on financial strength and integrity. Toggy Sports (Rangpur), Triangle Services (Chittagong), Champion Sports (Dhaka), Nabil Group (Rajshahi), and Cricket with Sami (Sylhet) are the owners of the five franchises, with official team names to be confirmed later.
Defending champions Fortune Barishal will not be part of the next cycle as they told Cricbuzz that they cannot form their squad within this short notice.
