DHAKA, (Reuters) – The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is planning to revive a controversial Twenty20 league which was shut down two years ago following a match-fixing scandal.
Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful was slapped with an eight-year ban in the wake of the scandal that led to the postponement of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) after its second edition in early 2013.
The troubled tournament faced further scrutiny from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) last year, the organisation advising players to avoid future editions over claims of unpaid salaries.
“We are looking at a window in December to hold the third edition of the BPL if everything goes to plan and the international schedule is sorted out,” Ismail Haider Mallick, the BPL’s governing council member-secretary, was quoted as saying by www.espncricinfo.com.
Though modelled on the Indian Premier League, the new-look league would be a much more modest tournament, he said.
“The financial structure of the next tournament will have big changes, so that we can hold the tournament every year. We are trying to keep it reasonable and realistic.”
Mallick added that 90 percent of player payments had been made and the BCB would welcome new franchises after all seven teams defaulted, leading to their termination.