The 12 Dhaka Premier League (DPL) clubs will sit for a meeting among themselves today to discuss certain issues of the upcoming league and the cricket Board’s position in the situation. The club officials will try to gather a clear idea of their stance before they sit for a meeting with the Bangladesh Cricket Board soon.
Despite BCB confirming the dates for the DPL, the ongoing dispute between the clubs and the Board hardly makes it look realistic. After much drama and delay, BCB dated the players’ draft on July 25 and scheduled to begin the league from August 29.
However, Board president Nazmul Hasan recently laughed off the financial aid demanded by the clubs and it has not been taken lightly by the officials.
Iqbal Yousuf Chowdhury Niku, former general secretary of CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis) and an official of premier league club Cricket Coaching School (CCS) informed Dhaka Tribune that the clubs are yet to be informed formally of the fresh dates stated by the Board.
“We got to know through the media that the players draft will take place on July 25 and the tournament will start by the end of August. Whereas we should have been informed formally by the Board on the new dates,” said Niku yesterday.
“This will be one of the agendas in the meeting today,” he informed.
When queried of the dispute over the financial aid, Niku said, “First thing is it is rainy season now. We will be investing huge amount of money, but will not have the guarantee of having on-field results for which we asked for a little more than what the Board decided to give us.”
The BCB president in a statement recently mentioned that the Board should not pay more as the clubs will have to bear lesser expense this season for the newly introduced draft system.
However, the clubs did not buy the reason as Niku said, “It was us, the clubs, who invented the system for the betterment of the clubs. Now, if he (Nazmul) implements it on us and provides lesser fund than it’s not right.”
BCB is supposed to sit with the CDDM and the officials of the top-flight clubs to settle the issues, but the date is yet to be confirmed.