BPL to bring back player auction after 12 years

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to reintroduce the players’ auction after a 12-year hiatus, the BPL Governing Council announced on Wednesday.

The auction system was used during the first two editions of the BPL in 2012 and 2013, before the league switched to a players’ draft format for the subsequent nine editions.

This year’s auction will take place on November 23 at a city hotel, featuring five franchises — Dhaka Capitals, Chattogram Royals, Rajshahi Warriors, Rangpur Riders and Sylhet Titans — as they build their squads for the 12th edition of the franchise-based T20 tournament.

“Organized by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the BPL Governing Council, this year’s auction marks the start of a new franchise ownership cycle, introducing a restructured and transparent bidding process aimed at aligning the BPL with international T20 franchise standards,” the BCB said in a statement.

Under the new system, local players will be divided into six categories, while overseas players will be split into five. The base price for top-category local players (‘A’) will be BDT 50 lakh, with bidding increments of BDT 5 lakh.

For foreign players, the highest category will start at USD 35,000, with increments of USD 5,000 per bid.

Franchises may sign up to two Bangladeshi players (from A and B categories) and one or two foreign players directly before the auction, subject to BPL Governing Council approval.

The auction will be conducted in two phases, beginning with local players followed by overseas players. 

Each franchise must purchase at least 11 local players, with a maximum of 15, while directly signed players will not count toward this requirement.

Teams will have a budget cap of BDT 4.5 crore for local players, excluding direct signings.

Franchises can register unlimited foreign players, but only two to four can play in the XI in any match.

Each franchise must acquire at least two overseas players through the auction, with a maximum budget of USD 350,000 per team, including direct signings. Franchises are prohibited from exceeding the assigned bidding limits.

Payments for auctioned players will be made in three instalments: 25% on signing, 55% before the team’s last league match, and the remaining 20% within 30 days after the tournament, all subject to National Board of Revenue (NBR) tax regulations.

Final squad lists must be submitted to the BPL Governing Council within 24 hours of the auction’s conclusion, and all player contracts will follow the BCB’s standard tripartite format.