ABDULLAH AL MEHDI

In an attempt that could be compared to putting a band aid on a bullet wound, the governing council of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) held a meeting with the franchise owners yesterday, to address the many scandals that have overshadowed the on-field action in the ongoing tournament.

The players’ non-payment issue and some questionable actions from some franchise owners have turned the running season into one of the most scandalous editions in BPL history.

The tri-party agreements between Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), franchises and the players, which should’ve been complete before the tournament commenced, are still in the process of being signed and the BCB also did not take any bank guarantees from franchises beforehand, a choice the officials are surely regretting right now.

With 10 days left in the 40-day event, the BPL governing council tried to address these issues with the franchise in a meeting in Dhaka, however, it could not even ensure everyone’s presence as the Chittagong Kings owner did not turn up.

“We have seen some incidents which do not go with the BPL,” BPL governing council’s member secretary Nazmul Abedeen Fahim told the media yesterday at Mirpur following the meeting.

“We discussed the problems with payment, their plans were also discussed and we have arrived at a place [regarding a solution]. We have seven [10] days left and not sure how much the problems will be solved by then . Time will tell,” he added.

Durbar Rajshahi have been at the centre of the non-payment issue, with all of their overseas players boycotting a match on Sunday in protest. Rajshahi had provided all of its local players with cheques with partial payment the same day but yesterday, a local player from the team informed The Daily Star that all of their cheques have bounced.

Players of the Rajshahi team, who have completed their league phase matches and are currently third in the points-table, are waiting to see whether they make the playoffs and are discussing among themselves about what to do next.

Meanwhile, Chittagong’s Parvez Hossain Emon’s case has also come under media scrutiny after the franchise owner sighted ‘self-satisfaction’ as a reason behind not clearing his dues.

“We don’t expect that someone would make a comment like that. A team or a player can do well or poorly but I believe the player who was talked about, tried his level best… Obviously we didn’t take it well,” Fahim said.

Fahim also said the board will monitor the activities of the franchise more closely, saying, “From now on, we will follow every moment whether they are keeping their commitments,” he said.

No matter what action the BCB undertakes now, it cannot avoid responsibility for the current mess in the BPL, and Fahim did not attempt to do so.

“At the end of the day, obviously it was the board’s responsibility… The things which happened were still very unexpected. Having said that, we have to take responsibility.”

But even after so many occurrences that have brought ill-repute to the tournament, the BCB will not be taking any legal action yet, the governing council declared yesterday, as the board’s current priority appears to be damage control.