Franchises’ BPL passion becoming agonies

The franchise owners in the Bangladesh Premier League T20 have long list of complains and they often end up as breaking news in the media following clashes with the Governing Council of the tournament. However, they claim that, despite making huge financial losses they keep contributing in the tournament with hopes of better days and passion for the sport.

The Bangladesh Premier League T20 had come to existence based on model practiced by the Indian Premier League, the most successful T20 franchise league in the world. However, in reality the BPL T20 has set a course of its own rather meeting the standard of the model followed and often attracts controversies more than plaudits.

Undoubtedly the BCB has been successful in establishing the tournament as the most followed domestic sports event of the country and attract viewers from some parts of the world, but, perhaps with some collateral damage. If irregular payments and fixing scandals had marred first two editions of the tournament the later ones witnessed clashes between the franchises over BPL Governing Council mostly over policies. Since the revamp of the tournament in 2015, professional team owners took over the franchise and the various anomalies were almost eradicated. However, despite widespread unprofessionalism may be bygone but some other issues remained along with some newly grown ones. The most recent incident to make the news headlines has been how the governing body of the tournament altered regulations and declare to start fresh and the controversial reason behind the move has already been well established.

Alongside is the struggle of running operations of the franchises. One from a distance can easily judge the teams in BPL generating huge financial gains by simply looking at the shell. However, the story inside is different. Despite completing six editions of the tournaments, the franchises struggle to even make the break-even point. The chief resource for the franchises to earn is by selling sports in the jersey but as per the franchise officials this doesn’t return even half of that invested. A decent team in the money-spinning BPL T20 needs to spend around Taka 12 to 15 crores on average per season but income-wise majority of the teams are struggling to make even the 25 percent of those sum.

Like it happens in most major leagues around the world, the franchises on several occasions have requested BCB for a portion of the revenue earned by the tournament but the requests falls in deaf ears. The financial struggle of sustaining in the tournament is evident by the fact that some of them failed to continue and aborted their mission with BPL. The latest to pull out from BPL has been the Chittagong Vikings, owned by the DBL Group. Though no official statement has been made by DBL the speculation is rife that the business house belonging to the garments sector is discouraged by the fact of making huge loses.

Some other franchises who are still burning with passion are also feeling somewhat numbness facing the grim situation. 

“Banshundhara Group has been related to Bangladesh sports for a long time participating in cricket, football and contributing in other sports. It is nothing but the passion that has kept us running in BPL. We belong to family where sports run in our blood. People might think that we are making huge money, even my closest of friends think that way. But now as it has been, the tournament rules are changing every year to give advantage a particular team, it is very unfortunate,” said Rangpur Riders’ chief executive officer Ishtiaque Sadeque to Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday.

The franchise earlier this week had declared to walk out from the tournament after the BPL GC denied of acknowledging the franchise’s signing Shakib Al Hasan as its A+ or Icon cricketer for the upcoming season of the tournament.

Tahmeed Azizul Huq, CEO of Rajshahi Kings echoed the similar sentiment and expressed hope for better days ahead for the franchises.

 “We are participating with a hope that someday the Governing Council will realise that in order to make this tournament successful you have to give something back to the franchises who are investing behind the game to make it successful,” said Tahmeed. 

“Revenue is one of the elements that the Governing Council needs to support. In any of the entertainment industry it is applicable that they have revenue or a royalty share model. It is not right that you are not contributing to those who are making this tournament happen. Franchises are spending while everyone else in the tournament is earning starting with the board, the players, the coaches, the team staffs and many others. So the franchises are investing with a hope that there will be some return some day. Everyone understands that a business does not start making profit in just two years but there should also be model to keep the encouragement,” the franchise official added. 

Such are the challenges for running a franchise is that Prime Bank Cricket Club, one of the most prominent names in country’s cricketing arena, has put down their thought of buying a franchise in the tournament. Prime Bank has been part of Bangladesh cricket participating in Dhaka Premier League, owning one the four teams in Bangladesh Cricket League, the franchise based first class cricket tournament of the country and also sponsor the biggest school cricket tournament of the country.

The BCB issued Expression of Interest looking for new owners for Chittagong plus an added franchise. There is a strong rumor of Sylhet Sixers owners also moving out and that Prime Bank had showed interest in taking over the team. The BCB is mulling to have eight teams participate in the seventh edition of BPL T20.

But Prime Bank’s prospect of joining in BPL extravaganza seemed bleak. 

“There are many factors following for which we thought operating a BPL team will become tough for us. One chief reason is the financial model. The BPL GC does not share revenue with the teams earned from ticket and television rights sale. You need to spend around Taka 10 to 15 crores to put on a decent team in this competition and more if you want to make a champion team,” Prime Bank CC general secretary and Prime Bank director Tanjil Chowdhury was mentioned in an article on a Bengali news daily on Tuesday.

“What we have learnt is that it is tough to earn investing money in this tournament. Many had to face huge loses. Prime Bank is an organization with many responsibilities – to the customers of the bank and also to Bangladesh Bank. I believe they will not agree the company making huge loses every year,” Tanjil, who is also a BCB director, added.


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