BCB rename BPL after founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Nowadays, countries are preferring to name their domestic tournaments after indigenous names. South Africa, for example, named their T20 tournament that started last year as Mzansi Super League. It is more about a colloquial South African identity. And now, Bangladesh has also decided to do something similar. The country will name its upcoming premier league as ‘Bangabandhu BPL’ or Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League as organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

On Wednesday, BCB president Nazmul Hassan made the announcement in Dhaka amid talks with the franchises. The BCB’s contract with the franchises has expired and it is set to conduct the tournament by itself. The upcoming edition is set to kick off on December 6 and will continue till January 11, 2020.

The year 2020 marks the centenary of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who also served as its first president and second prime minister. The country is celebrating the occasion and its cricket board decided to pay tributes to him by naming the premier league after him.

‘Real reason for naming BPL is honouring Bangabandhu’

According to Hassan, the BCB has not been able to cope with several demands made by the franchises but added that the main reason to name the tournament was to honour Sheikh Mujib who was assassinated along with his family on August 15, 1975, at his home. Sheikh Hasina, the current prime minister of Bangladesh and the daughter of Sheikh Mujib, escaped because she was not at home then.

“The biggest reason behind this is, you know, next year is the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu. We want to dedicate this season’s BPL to Bangabandhu,” bdnews24.com quoted Hassan as saying.

The BPL started in 2012 and in six seasons held so far, Dhaka have won thrice (two times as Gladiators and once as Dynamites) while Comilla Victorians won twice and Rangpur Riders once. Dhaka Dynamites have made the finals three consecutive times since 2016 but could win only once.

Senior Bangladesh player Shakib Al Hasan, under whom the Tigers lost a Test to Afghanistan at home recently, ended up as the man of the tournament on three occasions, including last year.

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