BCB introduces major match-fee hikes amid BPL postponement

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal on Thursday announced major increases in match fees for domestic cricketers, amid growing concerns that top players could lose significant earnings following the postponement of this season’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Men’s first-class cricketers, whose match fee was increased to Tk 1 lakh in April by the ad hoc committee led by Tamim, will now receive Tk 1.5 lakh per match.

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In List A cricket, the match fee has been doubled from Tk 50,000 to Tk 1 lakh, while fees for NCL T20 matches have risen from Tk 40,000 to Tk 80,000.

The latest increases come alongside the BCB’s plans to introduce a new tournament and provide financial support to players affected by the absence of the BPL this season.

The new competition will replace three existing tournaments: the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) four-day, BCL one-day and NCL T20 competitions. Although the three formats will continue to be played at different points of the calendar, their player drafts will be held together. The tournaments will also come under a single name and operate under a franchise-based model. The new tournament will officially be announced in late September. 

The NCL four-day competition will remain separate.

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The BCB is also planning significant changes to women’s domestic cricket, including a move from three-day to four-day matches. Match fees for four-day fixtures will double from Tk 20,000 to Tk 40,000, while one-day match fees will rise from Tk 15,000 to Tk 30,000. T20 match fees will also double, from Tk 10,000 to Tk 20,000.

Tamim said the increases were designed not simply as compensation for the financial impact of the postponed BPL, but as a long-term measure to improve earnings for domestic cricketers.

“This is a significant step because now they are almost getting 100 percent more. So, the impact they had in Dhaka League or from not playing BPL this time... I didn’t want to compensate for that for just one year,” Tamim said at a press conference following a working committee meeting.

“When the proposal came to the board, everyone agreed that when we do it [raise match fees], we do it for all times,” he added, stressing the need for a sustainable increase rather than a one-off payment.