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BPL 2015 will follow the format of BPL 2013 where finalists were decided through a four-game playoff © BCB
ESPNCricinfo: The governing council of the Bangladesh Premier League has brought forward the tournament’s opening game from November 24 to November 22 while the final will be held on 15 December. The opening match, final and a playoff game will be held in Dhaka. The players’ draft, originally scheduled for 31 October, will now be held on 26 October.
The players’ draft will feature 196 foreign and 122 local cricketers. Each franchise can register 12 foreign players in total, and use a maximum of four such players in a match. England and Pakistan are the most well-represented among international sides with 53 players each, including Pakistan pacers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. Ismail Haider Mallick, the secretary of the BPL, said the ICC had provided clearances regarding Amir and Asif.
“Amir and Asif have been punished. We have kept them in the list because they got ICC’s clearance,” Mallick said. “There can be allegations against them like there was against many players in the IPL. But it didn’t stop the tournament.
Mallick also stated that the BCB’s own anti-corruption unit will be put in charge of this season unlike the 2013 edition when the Bangladesh board had to hire the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit.
The format for the BPL 2015 will follow the 2013 edition where finalists were decided through a four-game playoff. There will be two matches held from 2.00pm and 6.45pm, and most of the games will be held in Dhaka, with Chittagong hosting matches over four-five days.
The order by which the six franchises can pick a player will be decided through a lottery system, which will allot slots to the teams. A franchise can pick two players on its allotted slot before a lottery determines the order for the next two rounds. The draft will be shown live on television.
The ICC has shown faith in the Bangladesh Cricket Board by reiterating that next year’s Under-19 World Cup will be hosted by the nation, but stressed on the need for a security plan that satisfies both the ICC and the member countries.
“The [ICC] board confirmed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board will host next year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup from 22 January to 14 February,” an ICC statement said. “As part of this decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), working in conjunction with its government, will be developing an appropriate security plan that addresses all security risks to the satisfaction of the ICC’s security advisor, working closely with the security advisors for the other Members.”
The confirmation should soothe nerves in the BCB as well as among Bangladesh fans, especially after Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa postponed Bangladesh tours scheduled for this month due to safety concerns for foreigners.
The Under-19 World Cup is the next tour that raised doubts among many in Bangladesh. But neither the ICC nor any of the participating nations sounded any concerns about the tournament.
The BCB was awarded the tournament’s hosting rights a couple of years ago and had already started preparation, particularly in redeveloping venues across the country.
