BPL is not happening this year, confirms BCB chief Nazmul Hasan Papon

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has been scrapped for the year 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as other major cricket playing nations are starting to return at the international level, the Tigers’ cricketers haven’t had much to do. The Bangladesh players are currently taking part in the inaugural three-team 50-over tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

Earlier, their tour of Sri Lanka also got cancelled due to SLC’s strict quarantine protocols. Nazmul Hasan Papon, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief, said that the BPL can’t take place without the foreign cricketers.

“BPL is not happening this year. Let’s see it in next year. We do not want to miss any game but everything will depend on the situation and circumstances. Because whenever there is talk of BPL, there must be foreign cricketers,” Papon was quoted as saying to the reporters on Sunday, October 11.

BCB not planning to organise BPL abroad

Nazmul also ruled out chances of hosting the BPL in any foreign country. He said that from the financial front, it won’t be feasible to shell out a whole lot of money in creating bio-security bubbles.

“At the same time there is the matter of production. Now if we can do those in Bangladesh then we have no objection. But it is a little bigger arrangement because of the number of players there and the team management are much higher. I don’t know if we are able to handle that or not,” he stated.

“I don’t think it will be easy (organise the tournament outside). I tell you, when we go to run in Bangladesh (BPL), except for one or two franchises, the rest of us have a hard time to play the tournament,” he added.

Bangladesh cricketers last played international cricket way back in March 2020 against Zimbabwe. Their third leg of the Pakistan tour, which consisted off one Test and one ODI in Karachi, couldn’t take place due to the pandemic.

As far as the BPL is concerned, Rajshahi Royals are the defending champions. The team, led by Andre Russell, beat Mushfiqur Rahim’s Khulna Tigers in the final earlier this year in Mirpur. It remains to be seen when their cricketers return to the international stage.