The Bangladesh Cricket Board has assumed control of the Chattogram Royals after the franchise’s owner, Triangle Services Limited, pulled out less than 24 hours before the first ball of the new Bangladesh Premier League campaign. Despite the upheaval, Saturday’s fixture against fellow newcomers Noakhali Express remains on the card.
Triangle bought the team only last month and even took part in the player auction. On Wednesday afternoon, though, a letter reached the BCB headquarters explaining the sudden exit. “They have given the BCB a letter three hours ago so we have officially taken over the team,” BPL chairman Iftekhar Rahman told ESPNcricinfo. “It is an unexpected situation. The franchise wrote in the letter that due to media reports, they couldn’t find sponsors for the team. We have been strict about integrity and player payment this season. We don’t want a situation like the Rajshahi franchise last year.”
That reminder of 2024-25 still stings. Back then, Durbar Rajshahi’s players downed tools over unpaid allowances and hotel bills, forcing government officials to lean on the owners before any cash reached the dressing-room. Payment rows also dogged the league’s early seasons from 2012 to 2015, improved for a spell, then resurfaced again. The BCB’s patience, clearly, is running thin.
To keep the Royals on the park, the board has moved quickly. Former national captain Habibul Bashar has been named team director, with coach Mizanur Rahman Babul and manager Nafees Iqbal drafted in late on Wednesday night. It is, by any definition, a make-do set-up, though the BCB insists the playing squad will be paid on time.
Off-field concerns hardly end there. The Royals were one of four new licences issued for the 12th edition, shrinking the competition from seven to six teams. In recent weeks, however, the franchise has been linked to two individuals highlighted by an independent corruption report commissioned by the board. While the BCB said on 9 December that all fees and bank guarantees had been met, officials admit those associations were “a worry”.
The bigger picture is awkward. Sponsors are growing wary, attendances have dipped and television money is flat. A complete refresh of the BPL brand was mooted but never materialised; instead, the board stuck to its December-January window and hoped for the best. Wednesday’s drama underlines how fragile that hope is.
For now, the cricket goes on. Chattogram will take the field against Noakhali at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium tomorrow afternoon, sporting hastily printed kit and carrying the BCB’s crest on the sleeve. Whether the league can keep its own house in order over the next six weeks may prove the more intriguing contest.
