“There aren’t many green lights for the BPL” – Lisa Sthalekar calls for change

A Legacy of Controversy in the BPL

For over a decade, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has served as a centerpiece of the nation’s cricketing calendar. However, the tournament has been perpetually overshadowed by recurring controversies, most notably the persistent failure to guarantee player salaries. In recent editions, multiple franchises have faced accusations of failing to pay their athletes, leading to high-profile disputes and, in several instances, legal intervention. These financial instabilities have cast a long shadow over the league’s professional reputation.

The WCA Traffic-Light Perspective

Amidst these ongoing concerns, Lisa Sthalekar, president of the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), has offered a sobering assessment of the tournament’s current standing. Currently in Bangladesh for the Bangladesh-Australia series, Sthalekar utilized her platform at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium to discuss how the WCA evaluates global T20 leagues.

“What the World Cricketers’ Association does, and we have it on our website, is almost a traffic-light system of all the T20 leagues around the world. It’s to help players, administrators and agents understand what the issues have been and what the successful aspects of each T20 league are,” Sthalekar explained. She offered a stark reality check regarding the BPL’s current status: “Obviously, if you look at the BPL, its traffic light doesn’t have a lot of green, unfortunately.”

An Opportunity for Reform

Despite the criticisms, Sthalekar remains optimistic about the potential for change under the new Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) administration. She views this transition period as a vital opportunity to overhaul the league’s management and restore faith among international players. “This is an opportunity for them as a new organisation and executive committee to work with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to ensure that overseas players want to come here and play, and that they can potentially move into the amber and green categories,” she noted.

Sthalekar emphasized that the league possesses the foundational elements for success—specifically, high-quality local talent and excellent facilities. The goal now is to align administrative practices with these assets to ensure the BPL becomes a destination tournament that cricketers are eager to join.

The Fundamental Right to Fair Pay

A central tenet of Sthalekar’s critique is the non-negotiable nature of professional contracts. Drawing a parallel between cricketers and other professionals, she highlighted the basic expectation of compensation for services rendered. “For professional cricketers, this is their job. It’s the same for journalists—you expect to be paid for your work. A professional cricketer, if they’ve gone out and played cricket and done their job, should be paid for it. And if the system and structure have put frameworks and contracts in place, then they should be honoured.”

Collaborative Efforts for the Future

While the WCA primarily operates at the ICC level, Sthalekar stressed the importance of local empowerment through the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB). She recently met with CWAB members, including Mithun, to discuss the challenges of representing professional players in a complex environment.

“It’s been great to actually be here in Bangladesh and catch up with Mithun and a number of the other committee members. We had an hour-long conversation, and it was wonderful to get an understanding of what the new administration has been doing. They’re here representing all professional cricketers in Bangladesh, and I think they’ve been doing a wonderful job,” she said. As the new administration continues to learn and adapt, the collaborative push for better structure, timely payments, and professional accountability remains the only path forward for the BPL to earn its ‘green light’ on the global stage.