The Daily Morning Voice Online Desk: Professionalism and proper culture are huge facets in making a T20 franchise league tick in the global landscape but the BPL has not found the continuity over the years that was required to bolster the overall quality of the league. One of the key reasons behind that, as BCB director and Khulna Tigers coach Khaled Mahmud pointed out, is the revenue sharing model currently in place.

Alongside the IPL’s domination, other T20 leagues such as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Australia’s Big Bash League, England’s T20 Blast and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have gained in prominence over the years. The rise of more leagues, such as those in South Africa and Dubai, put further stress on the pool of players that are attainable for BPL teams. A look at the changing names of franchises over the years indicates a problem in terms of creating brand value and Mahmud opined that a revenue-sharing structure was needed to ensure franchises stayed committed in the long-term to building and owning teams. Otherwise, financial losses will lead to an aversion towards continuation. Since the inception of the BPL, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not settled on a financial structure nor shown any interest in sharing revenues.

“To be honest, we were only behind the IPL once upon a time. But over time, everyone has taken over. There are many [franchise leagues] that are doing better. It’s also true that we haven’t gotten too many good players this time since Dubai and South Africa are doing tournaments and most players that make those teams are later involved in the IPL. Their main aim is to play in the IPL so players obviously want to be involved in leagues where they can catch the attention of the IPL,” Mahmud told reporters yesterday. Players such as Steve Smith and David Warner have previously featured in the BPL alongside a host of big-name T20 players such as Chris Gayle, but none of the franchises have been involved in all editions of the BPL. Despite showing interest, big organisations often do not view the BPL as lucrative over a meaningful course of time. “I feel that we aren’t being able to compete with the market in India. It’s not that our franchise owners are making big-budget sides. Three or four years ago, there were two or three teams with big budgets but that number has come down. Looking forward, stability has to be brought into the tournament and to the franchises too,” Mahmud said about the BPL.

“This is where the profit-sharing issue comes up. Businessmen spend 10 to 15 crore but what do they get in return? Maybe they are getting sponsors, but considering the current situation in the country, it’s not like they are making big bucks. “A franchise arrives and stays for one or two years. They make losses of three crore, but after three years, no one is ready to make that kind of loss. If you make a team over eight years, you can make losses for three years before breaking even and ultimately making profit. If that’s not the case, not everyone will want to come,” he said about the current instability. Mahmud said that IPL franchises look for talents throughout the year and if BPL franchises can go the same direction, it will benefit the country’s cricket tremendously.