Mahbub Anam replaces Faruque Ahmed as new BPL chairman

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Thursday, June 19th, that Mahbub Anam will succeed Faruque Ahmed as the new chairman of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The decision was reached during a meeting held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Mahbub Anam will be the new BPL chairman. © BCB

Nazmul Abedin, a highly influential director within the BCB, will remain as the member secretary of the BPL governing council. Faim Sinha will also serve as a member of the governing council.

"Mahbub bhai was named as the new chairman of BPL governing council," a BCB official confirmed.

The BPL governing council will commence its work with the next edition of the tournament, following the completion of the three-year cycle with the 2024-25 edition.

Last year, the BPL faced criticism due to issues related to non-payment and allegations of fixing. These issues prompted the formation of an investigation committee, although the report is yet to be released to the public.

According to a BCB official, efforts will be made to host the tournament in December. However, they acknowledged that achieving this goal may be challenging. The official stated, "BPL's slot is always in December, so we had a small meeting following the board meeting as everyone is busy with the carnival (to celebrate 25 years of Test cricket)."

Discussions are underway regarding the desired model for the BPL. A primary objective is to enhance the brand value of the BPL, which presents a significant challenge. The BCB plans to seek assistance from professional consultants and consultancy firms or agencies in this regard. A four or five-year cycle is being considered. Initial discussions have taken place, and further progress is expected in the coming week.

The official added, "Whether we can do BPL can only be said when we start our work. We have to come up with a new model and approach, and if we face too many challenges, it could be that instead of seven teams, there will be five teams. Even if in a small scale, we want to hold a T20 event."

Despite doubts about hosting the next BPL before the general elections, the official expressed optimism that attracting companies to buy franchises remains possible if a compelling model, similar to other successful franchise tournaments, can be presented.

"Big challenge but international bidding and if we can enact a good business model like other franchise leagues, then good organizations would be interested to come," said the official. "We will pitch our ideas and our model to different companies and see whose approval we have got."

In addition to the BPL, BCB directors also discussed the media rights bidding process and planned for the upcoming carnival to celebrate 25 years of Test cricket.