A new era dawns for women’s cricket in Bangladesh
By The Bengali Roots Sports Desk
Bangladesh is ready to script a new chapter in its cricketing history.
With bold salary caps, structured player categories, and confirmed venues, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has finalised the financial blueprint for the inaugural Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL), a tournament that promises not only competition but recognition, professionalism, and long-awaited investment in women’s cricket.
The player draft is set for March 14, with the three-team tournament running from April 3 to April 15.
💰 The Salary Structure: Setting a Professional Benchmark
For the first time in Bangladesh’s domestic women’s cricket, a structured franchise salary system mirrors global T20 leagues.
🔶 Icon Players – BDT 10 Lakh
Each franchise will recruit one Icon player, the tournament’s highest-paid athlete.
National captain Nigar Sultana has already been confirmed in this elite tier. Vice-captain Nahida Akter and Sobhana Mostary are under consideration for the remaining icon slots.
🔷 Category A – BDT 7 Lakh
Six players will be placed here, with each franchise required to pick two.
🔹 Category B – BDT 5 Lakh
Twelve cricketers will feature in this bracket.
🔸 Category C – BDT 3 Lakh
Around twenty players will enter this pool.
🔻 Category D – BDT 1.5 Lakh (Base Price)
Unsold Category C players will shift here, ensuring broader participation.
National selector Sajjad Ahmed confirmed that the final categorised list will be announced in the coming days.
🌍 International Stars Join the Mix
Franchises can either sign overseas players directly before the draft or select from the draft pool. Foreign players will be divided into three tiers:
- Category A: $8,000
- Category B: $6,000
- Category C: $3,000
Each team must include at least four overseas players in their squad and field exactly two foreign cricketers in every playing XI—a rule that guarantees global flavour without sidelining local talent.
🏟️ Venues & Franchise Landscape
Matches are expected to be hosted at:
- Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
- Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium
The BCB has set the franchise ownership fee at BDT 30 lakh for the three-team event.
Corporate interest is already visible. The Nabil Group — owners of the reigning men’s BPL champions, the Rajshahi Warriors — has formally expressed interest in acquiring a women’s franchise.
📦 Quote Box
“This structure reflects a serious investment in women’s cricket. The final categorised list will be confirmed soon.”
— Sajjad Ahmed, National Selector
Why This Matters
For years, Bangladesh’s women cricketers have carried national pride on modest contracts and limited exposure. The WBPL signals:
- Financial recognition
- Structured professional pathways
- Increased visibility
- Commercial confidence in women’s sport
Beyond the numbers, this league is about validation.
From Mirpur to Chattogram, from grassroots academies to national icons, the inaugural WBPL could become a defining moment in Bangladesh’s sporting narrative.
🖋 Editor’s Note
The launch of the Women’s BPL represents more than a new tournament it reflects a cultural shift in Bangladesh’s attitude toward women’s sport. Financial transparency, structured tiers, and corporate involvement are markers of institutional commitment.
If managed sustainably, this league could reshape not only the careers of its players but also the commercial ecosystem of women’s cricket in South Asia.
The question now is not whether Bangladesh is ready for a Women’s BPL.
It is whether the rest of the region is ready to keep up.
