e-News® covers the first and foremost updated sports snippets of BPL T20 globally live from the venue.
The inaugural ceremony of the Bangladesh Premier League BPL-T20 tournament held the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the city today. President Zillur Rahman inaugurated the first edition of the competition at 6:30pm.
The cultural ceremony was entertained, among others, by Bipasha Basu, Malaika Arora Khan, Rituparna Sengupta from India and Shamim Ara Nipa, Shibli Mohammad, Shakib Khan and Apu Bishwas of Bangladesh and singers Shaan, Bappi Lahiri performed along with Ayub Bacchu, Kumar Biswajit, Mila and popular band Miles of the country.
With the matches between Barisal Burners versus Sylhet Royals and Chittagong Kings versus Duronto Rajshahi, the tournament will begin on Friday, 33 matches will be held during the tournament in Dhaka and Chittagong, while the final match will be held on February 29.
The six teams participating in the first ever ‘Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20’ have estimated their total expenditure at over Tk 1.0 billion for the tournament that kicks off today.
The average expenditure, including amounts involved in auction of players and other expenses, on the part of each team is estimated at a level between Tk 170 million (Tk 17 crore) and Tk 250 million (Tk 25 crore) respectively, the sources connected with those teams, told the E-NEWS® I TECH NEWS NETWORK… on Wednesday.
“We expect that the sponsors will provide the funds to meet the estimated cost of each team,” the spokesman of a team said to e-News®. He also said the participating teams have given bank guarantees worth about US$ 6.0 million – the amount being $1.0 million for each team — to the BPL Governing Council for the payment of the auction money to the foreign players.
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Photo Credentials : Shihab Rashid & Sazzadul Islam
The cricket as a sports’ event, to recall, has turned into a big business in many parts of the world. The Indian Premium League (IPL), to cite an example, is now a multi-billion dollar show, attracting the starred players of all major cricketing nations. The brand value of the ILP was $3.67 billion a couple of years back, being only next to that of National Basketball Association (NBA) of the USA.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) expects to receive Tk 570 million, equivalent to $6.80 million at the current rate of exchange, each season of the T-20 event under the banner of BPL.
Game of Sports Management, an Indian company, bought the management title, BPL Twenty Twenty (T-20) for six years at US$44.33 million, equivalent to Taka 3.54 billion (354 crore).
Meanwhile, a senior treasury official of a leading private commercial bank told the E-NEWS® I TECH NEWS NETWORK… that authorities concerned should carefully look into the matter about the mode of foreign currency transactions for the event, after the approval by the central bank.
The participating teams in the BPL T-20 are: Barisal Burners, Chittagong Kings, Dhaka Gladiators, Duronto Rajshahi, Khulna Royal Bengal and Sylhet Royals. The tournament will started today and the final event will take place on February 29 this year. The competition will start in the form of a double round robin group, in which each of the six teams will play against every other team twice. The matches will followed by two semi-finals and a final.
There will be 63 matches at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in the capital and Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
This will be the first season of the BPL 2012. Top four teams will play in semi-final cross-wise.
The culture and history of the War of Liberation will be displayed at the opening ceremony of the tournament. The ceremony would last for about two and a half hours.
Mumbai-based film stars Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, and Deepika Padukone are likely to be present at the opening ceremony. The noted Indian singers Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan are also expected to arrive in the capital city of Dhaka on the occasion of BPL T-20 event.
India-based Game on Sports Management will run the tournament after winning the bid from the Bangladesh Cricket Board for six years for $44.33 or Tk 3.54 billion on December 21 last.
Each franchise spent between US $ 2.0 million and $ 5.0 million at the player-auction. The money would be given to the players proportionately for the matches for which they are available.
Shaheed Afridi of Pakistan was sold to the Dhaka franchise for the highest amount of $ 7,00,000.
West Indian batsman Chris Gayle, who will be available from February 14, will be another attraction at the BPL T-20, at its inaugural season, playing for Barisal which would pay $551,000 to him.
His compatriots, Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard, also created a stir as they were sold for $360,000 and $300,000 to Rajshahi and Dhaka franchises respectively.
A total of 111 overseas players and 80 local cricketers were put on auction with teams given a maximum budget of $2.0 million and the maximum limit of hiring up to eight overseas players.
Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik (Chittagong $150,000) West Indies’ Dwayne Bravo (Chittagong $150,000), Australia’s Brad Hodge (Barisal $140,000) and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya (Rajshahi $110,000) and Muttiah Muralitharan (Chittagong $100,000) were, among others, to go for big money.
Ireland’s wicket-keeper-cum-batsman Niall O’Brien was the most expensive player from among the cricket-playing nations, with Khulna paying $80,000 for the batsman.
Bangladesh internationals Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahriar Nafis and Alok Kapali had been selected as ‘icon players’ for six franchises and were excluded from auction.
All-rounder Nasir Hossain was the most-sought-after Bangladeshi in the auction, with Khulna sealing his signature for $200,000.
Md Sabik Rahman, managing director of Alif Group which owns Barisal Burners said the estimated expenditure of their team would be between Tk 170 million (17 crore) and Tk 180 million (Tk 18 crore).
Shihab Hossain Chowdhury, director of Europa Group that owns Dhaka Gladiators said the estimated expenditure of their team at the level between Tk 240 million ( Tk 24 crore) and Tk 250 million (Tk 25 crore).
Uday Hakim, senior deputy director of Walton Mega Shop that owns Sylhet Royals, said the estimated cost for their team during the tournament would be between Tk 170 million (Tk17 crore) and Tk 180 million (Tk 18 crore).
Mr Mujibur Rahman, managing director of S.Q. Sports Enterprise Ltd., which owns Chittagong Kings, said the estimated cost of their team will be around Tk 200 million (Tk 20 crore).
Md Towhidur Rahman, manager of Digital Auto Care that owns Duronto Rajshahi, said they estimated the total cost for their team during the tournament at around Tk 180 million (Tk 18 crore).
Md Ashfaqul Alam, corporate manger of Orion Group that owns Khulna Royal Bengal said they are yet to finalise their budget for the team during the tournament.
A designated spokesman of Dhaka Gladiators said the Pakistani all-rounder Afridi may not be available for the BPL’s maiden T-20 event as he will be will be playing for the national team of Pakistan against England in the United Arab Emirates, during the most of the time of the BPL’s T-20 event.
“Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi will be given $ 48,000 per match. Afridi might be available for playing the semi-final and final if the team is able to reach that stage,” the spokesman of Dhaka Gladiators told the E-NEWS®.
e-News® covers the first and foremost updated sports snippets of BPL T20 globally live from the venue.
Author : Syed Rajowan, E-News® I TecH News NETWORK…
