BCB sets pay scale for inaugural Women’s BPL

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has approved the salary structure for players ahead of the first-ever Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL), setting clear pay brackets for both local and overseas cricketers.

The three-team tournament will begin with a player draft on March 14, while the competition itself is scheduled to be held from April 3 to 15.

According to officials, local players will be grouped into five categories, with the highest tier named “Icon”. 

Each franchise will sign one Icon player, who will earn the top salary of Tk 10 lakh. 

National team captain Nigar Sultana has already been confirmed as an Icon, while vice-captain Nahida Akter and Sobhana Mostary are being considered for the remaining slots.

Below the Icon tier, six players will feature in Category A with a salary of Tk 7 lakh each, and franchises will be allowed to pick two from this group. 

Category B will include 12 players, each earning Tk 5 lakh. 

Around 20 players will fall under Category C with a pay of Tk 3 lakh, while unsold players from this group will move to Category D, which has a base price of Tk 1.5 lakh. 

National selector Sajjad Ahmed said the final list of categories will be announced soon.

Teams will also be able to sign foreign players either directly before the draft or through the draft pool, depending on availability and interest. 

Overseas players will be divided into three salary brackets: Category A ($8,000), Category B ($6,000) and Category C ($3,000).

Each franchise must include at least four foreign players in its squad and field exactly two overseas cricketers in every match.

The board has fixed the franchise ownership fee at Tk 30 lakh for the tournament. Nabil Group, owners of the current men’s BPL champions Rajshahi Warriors, has already shown formal interest in owning a women’s team.

Matches of the WBPL are expected to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur and the Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram.