Dhaka Premier League is set to begin on May 31 and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is leaving no stone unturned to organise the tournament without any Covid-19 incidents. The BCB, on Thursday, announced that the clubs, players and officials will face strict actions if the bio-secure bubble is compromised at any point in the tournament.
The BCB is overseeing the logistics for securing the tournament amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The 12 teams will assemble in their respective bubbles on May 29 at four hotels – Sonargaon, Lakeshore, Four Seasons and Intercontinental.
Ali Hossain, secretary of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, revealed that the players will face suspension, and respective team’s points will be docked if they breach the bubble.
“Points can be deducted while there is provision of fines including suspension of players/officials if bio-bubble is breached,”
quoted Ali Hossain, secretary of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM).
“We have a Covid-19 disciplinary committee and they will look after the matter and take a decision in this regard according to the clause mentioned by us for the teams,”
he added.
Furthermore, the CCDM revealed that the players with over BDT 10 lakhs salary will face a 20% cut for the tournament to manage the logistical costs and financial burden during the pandemic.
“Players earning more than BDT 10 Lakhs in DPL will have 20 percent reduction as you all know that it’s hard to bear all the expenses during the time of corona. We have spoken with the cricketers and they are ready to accept it,”
Hossain stated.
All the players, coaching staff, and officials have done Covid-19 tests ahead of the league, out of which 9 members returned with positive results. According to the protocols, Covid positive members are placed in isolation in separate areas. Those members will have to undergo another Covid-19 test before entering the bubble.
The Dhaka Premier League was postponed from last year after only one completed round to comply with the government guidelines placed in to fight the Coronavirus outbreak in the country. The tournament will now be played from May 31 in the T20 format instead of 50 overs.
