The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) player draft is scheduled for 14th October, as confirmed by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed. He recently met with representatives from the seven participating teams to finalise the draft outline.
Teams are allowed to retain and directly sign up to three local players before the draft. Each team can have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 14 local players. The draft will feature six categories of players, with remuneration ranging from a maximum of 60 lakh taka to a minimum of 10 lakh taka. Specifically, 'A' category players will receive 60 lakh taka, 'B' category 40 lakh taka, 'C' category 25 lakh taka, 'D' category 20 lakh taka, 'E' category 15 lakh taka, and 'F' category 10 lakh taka. This represents a slight decrease from the previous season's remuneration.
The BPL often sparks discussions before it begins, and this year is no different. Three teams from last season are not participating this time. Additionally, the franchises of Chittagong and Rajshahi have yet to pay their entry fees. Faruque Ahmed mentioned that there are still some outstanding payments, but he hopes everything will be resolved before the draft.
There have been rumours about the Valentine Group selling its ownership to Rupa Fabrics, but Faruque Ahmed has no information on this matter. Meanwhile, Mehrab Hossain Opi, representing Rajshahi's franchise, confirmed that they will continue in the BPL under the name Durbar Rajshahi.
