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BPL Suspended: The Bangladesh Premier League has been put on hold for this year as the Bangladesh Cricket Board looks to overhaul the country's premier domestic T20 competition. BCB president Tamim Iqbal confirmed the decision on Thursday, revealing that the league's return will have to wait while the board addresses a number of issues involving franchises and the tournament's administration. The BPL, which was launched in 2012, has become Bangladesh's leading franchise-based domestic competition. However, the tournament has faced persistent challenges in recent seasons.

BCB Wants To Fix Franchise Issues Before BPL Return

Speaking to reporters, Tamim Iqbal clearly stated:

"The BPL will not happen this year,"

He indicated that several teams had failed to meet the league's rules and regulations, while outstanding payments and bank guarantee-related issues have also created problems for the BCB.

The board now intends to use the break to restructure the competition rather than stage another season while existing concerns remain unresolved.

"The BPL is a great product and there is a lot of interest in it. If we can do it properly, the interest will increase even more,"

"BCB is supposed to make a profit from franchise cricket, not a loss. So until we fix this, holding a tournament at a loss is not important," he added.

The financial concerns surrounding the BPL have reportedly become significant.

Prothom Alo, as reported by Times Of India, claimed that the BCB incurred losses of almost 400 million Bangladeshi taka ($3.27 million) across the previous two editions.

Tamim Admits BPL Standards Have Fallen Short

The decision is likely to disappoint players and supporters, but the BCB president insisted that the tournament needs to be rebuilt on a stronger foundation before returning.

"If I was a player, I'd be disheartened too, but they also know that this tournament should be staged in a way that the BCB can be proud of. Are we proud of what has happened over the last few years? Perhaps not."

The BPL announcement was made while launching the Game Development (GD) Trophy, a new competition involving Bangladesh's Under-17, Under-19 and Under-23 teams.

Despite the suspension, Tamim stressed that the BCB has no intention of abandoning the BPL permanently, stating that the board remains committed to bringing the tournament back, although it wants to take the necessary time to resolve its financial, operational and franchise-related problems first.