Political unrest, coach-owner dispute, franchise instability: Problems surround Bangladesh Premier League before start

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025-26 starts Friday, December 26, but the season has already been mired in multiple controversies. The franchise-based T20 tournament that, at one point, attracted stars like Steve Smith and David Warner has now been reduced to a low-profile league with problems aplenty.

This will be the 12th edition of the league, which is currently grappling with not just cricketing but also political issues. There are concerns over the integrity of the competition. Overseas players have reportedly withdrawn due to payment worries. A franchise’s coach reportedly left the team before returning again. And if all this was not enough, the situation in Bangladesh is tense, with protests turning violent in parts of the country.

Amid all this, the BPL kicks off a day after Christmas and the tournament is a big one for Bangladesh as it gives them a platform to prepare for the T20 World Cup that starts in February next year.

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While the importance of the tournament is high, controversies refuse to leave the league. Here we take a look at what is happening with regard to BPL 2025-26.

Putting in the hours at home as Sylhet Titans prepare in Sylhet for BPL 2026 💪#BPL #BPL2026 #BCB #Cricket #T20 #Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/B7CtNtYbw8

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) December 25, 2025

Tense security situation in BPL

Less than 48 hours before the start of the tournament, a blast rocked through Dhaka and left one person dead. Protests have frequently turned violent in the country with a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, being lynched to death in the Mymensingh region. Newspaper offices and the Indian Assistant High Commission building have also been attacked.

The opening ceremony of the tournament, which was to take place on Christmas Eve in Dhaka, had to be cancelled due to the deteriorating security situation. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) remains confident of organising the tournament without any hiccups. The number of teams has been cut from seven to six.

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Payment issues in BPL

Chattogram Royals was taken over by the board due to its financial limits the day before the tournament’s start but this problem is not new to BPL. The league has consistently seen payment delays and Durbar Rajshahi players even boycotted a training session last year in protest against the same. Some big names like Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella, Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed and Ireland’s Paul Stirling have already withdrawn from the tournament.

Since the league clashes with SA20, Big Bash and ILT20, it already has a scarcity of players and with more leaving, the tournament’s quality will suffer.

The financial situation of the league is so bad that on Thursday, head coach and bowling coach of Noakhali Express stormed out of the training camp due to the scarcity of balls for practice. The duo returned hours later, though.

1 day to go ⏳🔥 BPL 2026 is almost here. Lock in, it’s about to get loud.
#BPL #BPL2026 #BCB #Cricket #T20 #Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/WiztztF2LN

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) December 24, 2025

Franchise instability

Rajshahi Warriors, Sylhet Titans, Noakhali Express and Chattogram Royals are the new sides joining the league with Dhaka Capitals and Rangpur Riders being the only two franchises that played last season. Of these, Royals has already been taken over by the board.

The change in owners and franchises has been a constant feature of BPL through the years and that has meant that no team has been able to build a fan base. Despite Bangladesh’s cricket crazy public, the instability means that the tournament does not attract big crowds.

Corruption issues in BPL

Ahead of the tournament, a 900+ page independent inquiry report into corruption allegations from the previous season led to BCB ousting nine names from the auction shortlist. One of the players also threatened to sue the board, but the names remained out.

The contents of the report have not yet been made public and because of the league’s history with fixing and other types of corruption, BCB will have a hard time winning the trust of the fans.