Dhaka, 13 November (Udaipur Kiran)। The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to reintroduce the player auction system after 12 years. The BPL Governing Council made the official announcement on Wednesday. The league had conducted player auctions in its first two seasons (2012 and 2013), after which player selection shifted to a draft system for the next nine editions.
The auction will take place on 23 November at a hotel in Dhaka, where five franchises — Dhaka Capitals, Chattogram Royals, Rajshahi Warriors, Rangpur Riders and Sylhet Titans — will participate. These teams will select their squads for the 12th edition of the BPL.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said, “This auction will mark the beginning of a new franchise ownership cycle. A restructured and transparent bidding system will be implemented to align the BPL with international T20 franchise standards.”
Under the new system, local players will be divided into six categories and overseas players into five categories.
The base price for local players in the top ‘A’ category has been fixed at 50 lakh taka, with each bid increasing by 5 lakh taka.
For overseas players, the top category will start at 35,000 USD, with each bid increasing by 5,000 USD.
Before the auction, each franchise will be allowed to directly sign two Bangladeshi players (from categories A and B) and one or two foreign players, subject to approval from the BPL Governing Council.
The auction will be conducted in two phases — first for local players, followed by overseas players.
Each team must purchase at least 11 local players and can acquire up to 15. Directly signed players will not be counted in this tally.
The budget for local players has been set at 4.5 crore taka per team (excluding payments for directly signed players), while the maximum budget for overseas players is 3.5 lakh USD, including direct signings.
Teams will be able to field two to four overseas players in their playing XI, but purchasing at least two foreign players through the auction will be mandatory.
Player payments will be made in three instalments:
25% at the time of signing, 55% before the team’s final league match, and the remaining 20% within 30 days after the end of the tournament. All payments will comply with National Revenue Board tax regulations.
Within 24 hours after the auction, all teams must submit their final squad list to the BPL Governing Council. All contracts will follow the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s standard tripartite format.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.