Hopes high as BCL begins

The 11th edition of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) -- the country's only franchise-based first-class competition -- will begin today with four teams set to face each other on the way to glory in a single league format.

On the opening day, defending champions BCB South Zone will take on East Zone at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram while Central Zone will face North Zone at the outer ground of the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Members of the Bangladesh Test team will not feature in the first two rounds of the BCL as they will be busy with their international commitment in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.

However, players of the Bangladesh ODI and T20I sides are set to play the first two rounds of the tournament, with Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Anamul Haque Bijoy, and Tanvir Islam playing for BCB South Zone.

The scheduling of domestic tournaments is often hindered due to assignments of the national side, leading to critics labeling the competition as a 'picnic tournament'.

"This complaint was there in the past but over the past few years, we have increased the match fees of both the players and the umpires. We have improved the standards of the pitches, ball, transportation, and other facilities. I hope such local tournaments should also get some focus from the media and fans as well which will surely encourage the players to perform in a competitive atmosphere," Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) tournament committee chairman Ahmed Sajjadul Alam told The Daily Star yesterday, mentioning that he has high hopes regarding the tournament being a competitive one this edition.

The BCB increased the match fees for the four-day games from Tk 65,000 to Tk 80,000 the previous season. The players now get a daily allowance of Tk 2500. The champion team will receive Tk 20 lakh while the player of the tournament, top run-getter, and top wicket-taker will be getting Tk 1 lakh each.