The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to reintroduce the player auction for the 2026 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the country’s lone franchise-based T20 competition.
BCB vice-president Shakhawat Hossain confirmed the move on Tuesday, revealing that the BPL Governing Council has finalised the auction framework, including player categories, salary structures, and participation rules, and circulated it among the five franchises for review.
Franchises Call for Greater Transparency
Explaining the rationale behind the shift from a draft to an auction, Hossain said the decision was made following repeated requests from the franchises.
The reason is that the franchises requested it, saying that when there’s no auction, the prices we set often turn out to be overpriced.
Hossain added that the auction would also address long-standing concerns about unfair player categorisation.
Some franchises said that certain players were bracketed in the ‘A’ category even though they didn’t actually belong there, while others who deserved higher categories were placed lower.
Auction Date Pushed to November 21
The BCB has also rescheduled the player auction to November 21, four days later than the original November 17 date. Hossain explained that the change was made to accommodate the registration process for overseas players.
We changed the date because the online registration link for foreign players was opened only recently. We need to allow them enough time, at least 10 days, before closing registration.
New Structure for Local and Overseas Players
Under the revamped system, local players will be divided into six categories, while overseas cricketers will fall into five. The base price for Bangladeshi players in the top ‘A’ category has been set at BDT 50 lakh ($40,971), with bidding increments of BDT 5 lakh ($4000).
For foreign players, the ‘A’ category will start at $35,000, with each subsequent bid rising by USD 5,000. These structured price brackets are designed to ensure a fairer and more transparent bidding process for both local and international talent, reducing the possibility of inflated valuations and misaligned contracts.
Squad Composition and Spending Rules
Each franchise will be permitted to sign up to two Bangladeshi players from the ‘A’ or ‘B’ category and one or two foreign players directly before the auction, subject to approval from the BPL Governing Council.
The auction will take place in two phases — the first for local players and the second for foreign recruits. Every team must select at least 13 local players from the auction pool and can sign no more than two directly. A franchise may register up to 16 local players in total, with a budget ceiling of BDT 4.5 crore ($368,742), although payments for directly signed players will not be included in this budget limit.
A Step Toward Competitive Balance
The return of the auction marks a significant shift in the BPL’s player recruitment model and a step towards ensuring more competitive balance across franchises. After several seasons of franchise dissatisfaction with the draft system, the BCB’s decision reflects a renewed focus on transparency, fairness, and market-driven valuation.
With the auction back in play, the 2026 season promises a fresh dynamic in Bangladesh’s premier T20 league, potentially making it one of the most strategically contested editions in recent years.
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