The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has already assumed the ownership and operating rights of the Chattogram Royals for the rest of the BPL cricket season. This news was confirmed on Thursday by BCB vice chairman Shakhawat Hossain, a member of the BPL Governing Council. According to BCB officials, now the board itself is to manage the franchise to have their stable presence at the tournament.
Royals Ownership Approaches BCB for Help
Chattogram Royals’ owner Kayum Rashed formally requested the BCB to take control of the franchise due to an inability to continue in that manner. While making this submission to the BCB, Kayum has emphasized financial woes that were largely due to the inability to find sponsors.
“We have acquired the ownership right of the team, and from now on, the board will manage the team,” Shakhawat Hossain told Cricbuzz. There would be talks with the players over what the next course of action should be.
Sponsorship Loss Attributed to Media Rumours
The owners of the Royals attributed a tarnished image to continuous media rumors and misinformation being circulated in relation to the team’s finances. Allegations aired in the media about financial instability and unpaid franchise charges and players’ dues had scared off the sponsors.
Although such claims were not relevant during the contract, the lack of an official explanation created room for rumors to spread. Consequently, reportedly, all the sponsors pulled out their support, causing a cash flow crisis that hindered the preparation for the BPL season.
BCB Assumes Control to Safeguard BPL Integrity
Kayum Rashed has asked the BCB to take complete responsibility for the franchise. The board has agreed to this requirement in what has been termed a bid to maintain the integrity and smooth running of the Bangladesh Premier League.
A senior official at BCB said that some initial linkages with shady people in its team structurebeeld had negatively impacted their_image in the sponsorship market, resulting in their deterioration.
Bashar, Babul, and Nafis to Head Operations
In a move to secure the franchise, the BCB has named ex-captain Habibul Bashar as the mentor of Chattogram Royals. The role of team managers is being taken up by Mizanur Rahman Babul and Nafis Iqbal, jointly.
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Bashar had earlier taken a break from being a mentor due to reasons cited as family issues, although there have been claims that he may have felt uneasy about some elements in the franchise setup.
Player Payment Issues Raise Alarm
Cricket players leave hotel over unpaid bills, however, fears heightened on the 25th of December as players of the Royals were reportedly leaving the team hotel because payments were not being made to them. As the BPL was set to start on the 26th of December in Sylhet, the transfer of ownership at this point was crucial.
The owner of the Royals also had threatened to pull out of the tournament if the situation did not change, which eventually led to the involvement of the BCB. BCB’s timely move to safeguard BPL through the acquisition of Chattogram Royals, the BCB has made strategic moves to ensure that there are no further setbacks witnessed in the BPL League.
Moreover, with new management at the helm and direct supervision by the board, the attention now turns towards regaining the confidence of the players and the league’s integrity as the premier T20 league in Bangladesh.
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