So how profit-making will Bangladesh's new BBL-style T20 tournament be?

Cricbuzz understands that none of the nine interested sponsors are willing to pay five crore taka as sponsorship fees © Getty

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is ready to disburse any amount of money from their coffer for hosting the upcoming edition of Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League. BCB had decided to postpone the franchise-based BPL after a fallout with the franchises due to their unreasonable demands and host a T20 tournament similar to the model followed by Big Bash League in Australia.

But whether that will be economically viable for BCB or not is a subject of debate. If BCB insiders are to be believed, the board is unlikely to make a comparable amount of money from this new format. The board was expected to earn TK 46 Crores 61 lakn BDT from the upcoming edition of BPL if it had been a franchise-based tournament on the lines of the Indian Premier League. From broadcast, title and in-stadia, official sponsorship rights and ticket selling, BCB was likely to earn Tk 36 Crore 60 Lakh BDT while the rest of the money was expected to be generated from the franchises as participation fees.

None of the sponsors who had shown interest in the special BPL edition are ready to pay TK Five Crores BDT as sponsorship fees citing how it would be a one-year affair after all and have asked the board to reduce the sponsorship deal amount.

The broadcaster is also negotiating when it comes to buying the other rights for the tournament, so it is unlikely that BCB will match up to its earnings from the franchise-based format of BPL.

The franchise-based BPL started in 2012, continuing for six editions before BCB decided to scrap it.

When asked if this edition of BCB would be economically viable, BCB president Nazmul Hasan stated that they are not thinking about profit this time around.

"This is special. This Bangabandhu Cup is for the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the first president of Bangladesh), so there should be no question of profit,'' Nazmul said. ''This not the right place to think about profit.

"We are instead looking for new players and that is the reason we are going to do some experiments. It is a part of our long term planning. We will experiment until 2020 and then make a solid team for the 2022 World Cup. So whatever needs to be done we need to do it now."

BCB have already made a leg spinner and 140 kph-plus pace bowler mandatory in the BPL.

Nazmul said that they are hoping to host the players' draft on November 12, adding, "We have no plan to shift dates [of BPL]. We have a tour in Pakistan, so keeping that in mind we have to finish it in time,'' said Nazmul. ''Because we are arranging an opening ceremony, it may change one or two days, but we are not confirming it now. We are preparing for December 6.

''We have seen that 393 players have already registered. 38 foreign coaches have applied. And we have nine sponsors who have shown their interest. And the player's selection for the teams will be decided through draft. It's the team's decision; we have nothing to do there.

''What we need is to create support staff. We will appoint a board director with each team; he will be responsible for the team. There will be coaches; they might be a foreigner or a local. And along with that, we will need physios, trainer and computer analysts. All of these will be finalized within two days at least by the management."

Nazmul added that all doors are not closed for local coaches in the BPL though earlier it was stated that foreign coaches will lead respective sides while the local coaches can only assist them.

Nazmul also hinted that the wages of local players will not be increased in the BPL.