The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the BPL 2026 with only three months’ lead time. Franchises say they now have less than two months to put together their squads, and they fear the short notice will again lead to the arrival of low-quality foreign players.

Franchise officials argue it is unrealistic to bring top overseas stars on such short notice. The problem is compounded because the tournament overlaps with other major T20 leagues: Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) and the South African T20 (SA20) competition are happening at the same time, and many leading international players are already contracted to those events.

Because the Lanka Premier League (LPL) is not taking place this season, there had been a chance that more Sri Lankan players would be available for the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League). Pakistani players, who have been regular participants in past BPL seasons, were also a natural target for franchises. Many teams were therefore planning to sign players mainly from Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

But that plan has been thrown into disarray by the sudden scheduling of a three-match T20 series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The BPL begins in Sylhet on 26 December, while the Pakistan–Sri Lanka series in Dambulla starts on 7 January. National boards are unwilling to grant No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for more than a week, meaning Sri Lankan and Pakistani internationals can remain in the BPL only until 4 January at the latest. The series also carries extra importance for those countries ahead of the T20 World Cup in February, making release less likely.

Rajshahi Warriors may be among the worst affected. Hasan Mahadi, Head of Operations for the newly joined franchise, said the team may have to release at least four players in the middle of the tournament. “Because the series was arranged so suddenly, we are scrambling for alternatives. We were proceeding with a plan — now we can’t form the right combinations. We wanted players who would be available for the whole season,” he said.

Finding good alternatives outside Sri Lanka and Pakistan is difficult. Many top Afghan players are also tied up with the SA T20 and Big Bash. In general, foreign players tend to prefer other franchise leagues over the BPL — partly because those leagues offer better exposure and, in some cases, a pathway to the IPL.

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Franchises insist money is not the issue: foreign players are paid well. But an anonymous franchise official explained another problem: “IPL franchises run many of the SA or IL T20 tournaments. If a player performs well there, their IPL chances improve. Here, everything happens at the last minute, and foreign players are usually already contracted elsewhere.”

A few franchises hope to sign star foreigners for the final few matches and say they have already started contacting such players. How successful those efforts will be remains to be seen. Given the current situation, the likelihood of quality overseas cricketers turning up for this year’s BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) appears slim.

Disclaimer: The perspectives and evaluations shared throughout this publication are solely the author’s informed interpretations. We encourage readers to think critically, engage with diverse viewpoints, and shape their own data-driven conclusions.

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