The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has undertaken a series of initiatives to make its domestic tournaments more competitive and commercially attractive, while significantly reducing operational costs.
Tournament Committee Chairman Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir said the planned reforms could save the BCB between Tk 15 crore and Tk 30 crore annually, with the savings to be redirected towards cricket development.
According to Alamgir, the BCB currently spends more than Tk. 50 crore each year in organizing domestic tournaments, a figure he believes can be substantially reduced through better planning and commercialization.
"From what we have seen, the BCB spends a huge amount of money to run its tournaments. With some well-planned initiatives, we can significantly reduce those costs," Alamgir told the BSS in an exclusive interview.
"After consulting with the board president, we have undertaken several projects regarding our domestic competitions. We have already discussed the plans with our stakeholders, and the results will be visible very soon," he added.
Alamgir, a veteran cricket organizer from Chattogram, said the board is no longer interested in continuing to bear the full financial burden of tournaments such as the National Cricket League (NCL) T20, the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) four-day and one-day competitions.
Under the proposed model, the BCB plans to market the BCL four-day, BCL one-day and NCL T20 tournaments as a single commercial package. Each competition will feature six privately owned teams, with approximately 60 days allocated for the combined schedule.
The traditional eight-team NCL four-day championship, however, will continue in its existing format with divisional teams, alongside a three-day NCL Second XI competition.
"If we continue these tournaments in the conventional way, they will not benefit us financially. That's why we have decided to market them. The money we save through effective cost-cutting can later be invested in development projects," Alamgir said.
"We have already shared our ideas with the marketing department to explore how domestic cricket can be marketed more effectively."
Alamgir believes improved marketing will not only generate greater revenue for the BCB but also enhance the competitiveness and appeal of the domestic competitions.
He also dismissed concerns over possible payment complications under the proposed ownership model.
"The owners will not have to pay franchise fees like those in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). They will simply follow the existing payment structure that the BCB uses for players in tournaments such as the BCL and NCL.
Therefore, there will be no payment-related complications, while the board will save a significant amount of money," he said.
"These tournaments are marketable products. I find it hard to believe that the cricket board cannot sell its own competitions.
If we can properly demonstrate the commercial opportunities to our sponsors, I believe we will be able to market these events successfully. Discussions have already begun, and the results will be seen very soon."
He added that successful commercialization would also allow the BCB to pay players in advance, eliminating the recurring problem of delayed payments.
"There is no need to charge a huge ownership fee. The owners would simply need to advance the players' payments under the existing first-class payment structure or any other structure already in place," he added.
Alamgir also revealed plans to introduce foreign players into the domestic competitions through a player exchange programme. "The exchange programme will reduce the cost of bringing foreign players in."
"At the same time, it will make our competitions more competitive and attractive. Our local players will benefit immensely from sharing dressing rooms with overseas cricketers. Likewise, our players will also participate in tournaments abroad under the programme, gaining valuable international exposure."
In addition, the BCB is planning to introduce two new competitions to strengthen the country's talent pipeline: a Rising Star tournament for Under-23 cricketers and an Inter-University Cricket League.
"We are planning to include the Rising Star competition and the Inter-University Cricket League in the domestic calendar. We believe these tournaments will further strengthen our player development pathway, and we are committed to implementing them," Alamgir said.
He also confirmed that district-level cricket competitions will be held in phases, with each district receiving Tk. 5 lakh in financial support from the BCB.
"In the first phase, competitions will be held in 20 districts, and we have already sent official letters in this regard. Another 20 districts will host their tournaments in the second phase, while the remaining 24 districts will organize their competitions in the final phase," he said.
