Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) set for debut with three teams in February

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is all set to launch the first-ever Women's Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) right after the conclusion of the ongoing men's BPL.

The inaugural edition of the Women's Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) will take place between February 8 and 15, and the tournament will feature three teams. Each team will face the others twice in six league matches before the final showdown.

Bangladesh set to host first-ever Women's Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) in February 2025

Nazmul Abedin, Chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) women's wing, confirmed the launch of the WBPL next month and said that they are ready to kick off the league with three teams this year. Earlier, the BCB considered four teams for the Women's Bangladesh Premier League, but they felt a three-team competition would be more competitive.

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Nazmul Abedin was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, “The plan is to conduct it (WBPL) with three teams. To organize a quality tournament, you need a sufficient pool of talented players. Expanding beyond three teams would dilute the quality. Although we considered four teams, we decided this format was more feasible.”

Abedin has stressed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board is not hosting the Women's Bangladesh Premier League for just financial reasons, but they are aiming to raise the standard of women's cricket in the country through this exciting competition.

BCB aims to improve the standard of Women's Cricket through the WBPL

The BCB chairman further noted, “Our focus is not just on hosting a tournament for financial gains but on improving the standard of women's cricket. A three-team competition will be more competitive. It will take place shortly after the men's BPL ends, lasting eight to nine days. Discussions with franchises have already taken place, and they're keen to participate.”

Meanwhile, the Women's Bangladesh Premier League is set to make its debut with a unique team composition that allows only one foreign player in each playing XI. Each of the three participating teams will have to pick 15 local players, with the foreign player quota left open to bring an international flavor to the WBPL.

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All matches of the inaugural WBPL are scheduled to take place at the iconic Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The BCB decided to go ahead with three teams to focus on the available pool of skilled players within Bangladesh to ensure a competitive and high-quality event.

Financial issues won't affect the Women's BPL: Nazmul Abedin

On the other hand, Nazmul Abedin, who is also the member secretary of the BPL governing council, has insisted that there would not be any salary issues like BPL in the WBPL. Recently, BPL side Durbar Rajshahi players protested against the franchise owners for unpaid salaries.

Nazmul Abedin signed off by saying, “We're committed to addressing technical and financial issues meticulously. These problems won't affect the women's BPL. There were doubts about whether we could successfully organize this BPL. Many franchises left during transitions, and we took a risk. While some areas didn't go as planned, we aim to resolve those issues moving forward.”