Four international companies express interest in hosting BPL

Four overseas companies are among five firms that have expressed interest in organising the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), according to a recent statement from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

In a press release, the BCB announced it had received expressions of interest from five sports marketing and event management companies, as reported by UNB.

Earlier this month, the board had invited proposals from prospective partners to manage the franchise-based T20 league, which is scheduled to take place between December and January.

The interested parties include Apex Sports Consulting (UAE), IMG (USA), Real Impact and Absolute Legends Sports (India), the IPG Group (UAE), and Bangladesh-based Transport Group.

Among them, IMG has past experience with the Indian Premier League, while Absolute Legends Sports has previously handled television production for BCB events. Meanwhile, Mind Tree Limited—owner of the Khulna Tigers franchise—has partnered with the IPG Group to jointly express interest in hosting the tournament. They have clarified that if chosen, they will not field a franchise this season.

The BCB will now create a shortlist and invite selected firms to deliver presentations and submit financial proposals on July 30 and 31.

The BPL Governing Council will then determine which company will be granted the hosting rights.

The board aims to finalise both the tournament organiser and franchise list by the end of August, with the players' draft tentatively planned for early October.

This year, the BCB has also engaged with fans and other stakeholders in an effort to make the BPL more professionally run and well-structured.