BPL auction to be held after 12 years

The players' auction is set to return to the Bangladesh Premier League after a gap of 12 years, the BPL Governing Council announced on Wednesday. The auction system was used in the first two editions of the BPL (2012 and 2013), while a draft format was adopted for the following nine editions.

The auction will take place at a city hotel on November 23, with five franchises—Dhaka Capitals, Chattogram Royals, Rajshahi Warriors, Rangpur Riders, and Sylhet Titans—participating to form their teams for the 12th edition.

Organized by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the BPL Governing Council, this year's auction marks the start of a new franchise ownership cycle, featuring a restructured and transparent bidding process designed to align the BPL with international T20 franchise standards.

Under the new system:

• Local players are divided into six categories, overseas players into five.
• Base price for local cricketers in the top 'A' category is BDT 50 lakh, with bids rising in increments of BDT 5 lakh.
• For foreign players, the highest category starts at USD 35,000, with bids increasing by USD 5,000 per call.

Each franchise may sign up to two Bangladeshi players (from A and B categories) and one or two foreign players directly before the auction, subject to BPL Governing Council approval.

The auction will be held in two phases: local players first, followed by overseas players. Each franchise must buy at least 11 local players at auction, with a maximum of 15 allowed in the squad. Directly signed players are exempt from this requirement.

• Budget cap for local players is BDT 4.5 crore per team, excluding directly signed cricketers.
• Teams may register unlimited foreign players, but only two to four can feature in the playing XI per match.
• Each team must buy at least two overseas players through the auction.
• Maximum budget for foreign players is USD 350,000 per team, including direct signings. Franchises cannot exceed assigned price ranges or bidding limits.

Payments for auctioned players are to be made in three instalments:

• 25% upon signing
• 55% before the team's last league match
• 20% within 30 days after the tournament ends

All payments are subject to National Board of Revenue (NBR) tax regulations.

Final squad lists must be submitted to the BPL Governing Council within 24 hours of the auction's conclusion, and all player contracts will follow the BCB's standard tripartite format.