Dhaka: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Faruque Ahmed today revealed that the board has earned about Tk. 12.25 crore from ticket sales from the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Faruque announced in a video message that the earnings are nearly equivalent to the board’s revenue from ticket sales over the last ten editions of the BPL.
“We have sold tickets worth around Tk. 12.25 crore in the entire BPL this season,” Faruque stated. In comparison, the BCB has sold tickets worth approximately Tk. 15 crore over the past ten seasons combined. This year’s earnings were bolstered by a three-year agreement for selling ticket rights at Tk. 1 crore, contributing to a total of almost Tk. 13.25 crore from this BPL.
Faruque emphasized that the online ticketing system played a significant role in the increased sales, though the system was not fully online. In the first phase, 35 percent of tickets were sold online, and in the second phase, 40 percent. The presence of spectators was notable across all three venues-Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet.
The distribution of BPL’s profits has been a contentious topic, with franchise owners frequently requesting a share. When Faruque assumed the presidency in August, he was uncertain about the profits and thus non-committal with the franchises. However, he now confirmed that franchises will receive a share of ticket sales revenue.
Additionally, Faruque mentioned the possibility of rescheduling the BPL to avoid conflicts with tournaments in Dubai and South Africa, which have limited the availability of quality foreign players in recent seasons. The BCB is actively working on finding a suitable time to attract better overseas talent.
Despite some challenges, Faruque deemed the BPL a success, highlighting the strong spectator turnout, the behavior of the wickets, ticket sales, audience engagement, and quality TV production.