In this year’s BPL, while there were promises of doing something new, all Tamim Iqbal has noticed so far are a few concerts and not much else.
With the changing landscape of sports, the BCB had promised to bring changes to the BPL as well. They had mentioned several new initiatives for this season. However, Tamim Iqbal, who has played in every edition of the tournament, feels that this year’s event seems just like the previous ones. Apart from a few concerts, there hasn’t been anything noticeably different for the experienced cricketer.
That said, there have been a few changes. The promotion has been given extra attention, free water is available at the stadiums, and there have been concerts and opening ceremonies not only in Dhaka but also in Chittagong and Sylhet this time. However, after political changes in the country, the new BCB president Faruk Ahmed and board director Nazmul Abedin had promised that this season of the BPL would feature many exciting new elements.
But as the tournament kicked off, Tamim said, he hadn’t noticed anything groundbreaking. The captain of Fortune Barishal also shared his advice on how to refresh the tournament.
“I honestly haven’t seen anything different except the concerts. I think if we really want a different BPL, we need to invest in cricket. That is the most important thing. We need to invest in our tournament, not in concerts or other things. If we invest in cricket and in the tournament, we’ll be able to say that this is a reimagined BPL. Concerts have always happened, and they were great, but I wasn’t in the country to see them this time.”
He added, “But it’s still a bit early to comment, because I don’t know what lies ahead. It wouldn’t be fair for me to make a statement that could be seen negatively. If someone asks for my advice, I would say that if we want to change the BPL, we should invest in the tournament and in cricket. That’s the only way to transform it.”
Tamim, who is currently part of the BPL governing council, chose not to specify where he would make changes, saying, “I will answer that at another time. It’s a long process and a long discussion. I don’t think I’m in a position to answer that right now.”
As a player with over a hundred BPL matches under his belt, Tamim believes that the tournament can be successful with the combined effort of the BCB and the players.
“Look, how the cricket turns out depends on how the players perform. Organizers don’t have much control over that. What they can control is providing the best facilities, the best wickets, the best commentators, and the best camera and technology. That’s their job. But they can’t decide whether the game will have 200 runs or 60 runs; that responsibility lies with the teams and the players. Everything else is in their hands.”
He concluded, “If they do their job well, and if we do ours well…then it will be a successful tournament.”
