BPL 2017 to kickstart on November 2 with an opening ceremony

The Bangladesh Premier League enjoys a lot of popularity in its country of play. Just like other domestic leagues around the world, the BPL recognises young talent and has proved to be a great platform to polish and nurture them for Bangladesh cricket. However, it has time and again come under the scanner for spot-fixing as well.

Modelled on the glitzy and lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), the BPL has been scarred by fixing rows ever since its inception in 2012. The tournament was suspended in 2014 following revelations that former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful along with others were involved in fixing matches.

The fifth edition of the franchise cricket tournament is all set to kick off with a grand opening ceremony on November 2, 2017.

First match to be played on November 4

The first match of the upcoming season will be played on November 4 while the auctions will take place on September 16, as per the governing council of the league that held a meeting in Mirpur.

Just like the IPL, BPL 5 will also see 8 teams compete with each other and Sylhet team will be making a comeback.  The 2016 edition was won by the Dhaka Dynamites and it saw seven teams lock horns with one another.

Dhaka Dynamites clinched the fourth edition in style, as they got the better of Rajshahi Kings to win by 56 runs in front of a packed Mirpur stadium last year. This is the third victory for a Dhaka franchise in four BPLs, with the Gladiators winning the 2012 and 2013 editions.

Total 8 teams will participate

Besides the defending champions, the Khulna Titans, Rajshahi Kings, Chittagong Vikings, Rangpur Riders, Barisal Bulls and Comilla Victorians were seen in action last year.

No Indian cricketers have participated in the tournament as yet but recently news had emerged that talks about giving NOC to Indian players to play in other foreign competitions including BPL were going on and this year some of the domestic Indian players may travel to Bangladesh.