A rare incident occurred a day before the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) was set to begin. The owners of the Chattogram Royals franchise have stepped away from the franchise rights. The matter was formally communicated to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) through a letter from franchise owner Abdul Kaiyum.

BPL Governing Council Member Secretary Iftekhar Rahman confirmed the issue to the media, stating that a decision will now be taken after discussions with the players. According to regulations, the BCB is expected to take responsibility.

Despite various concerns, the 12th edition of the BPL was scheduled to get underway on Friday (26 December) with six teams. However, ahead of the start of the tournament, the Chattogram Royals franchise owners withdrew from ownership.

The ownership of the Chattogram Royals franchise was held by Triangul Services. However, since purchasing the team, the franchise had been surrounded by negative discussions on several issues.

Sources said that the franchise’s foreign cricketers have yet to arrive due to non-payment of salaries. In addition, the franchise has not deposited the full amount of the bank guarantee with the BCB. Although regulations require 25 percent of players’ salaries to be paid before the tournament begins, that payment was also not made.