BPL 2025-26: Chattogram Royals fail to secure sponsorship, BCB takes ownership charge

Chattogram Royals, one of the six teams participating in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League 2025-26, will now be owned and operated directly by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The league organizer has taken charge of the franchise after it failed to onboard a sponsor despite the preparations for the tournament being in full swing.

The franchise has revealed that there were falsely spread rumours regarding the financial capabilities of the team ahead of the upcoming season, while multiple media outlets reported that the Royals had defaulted on abiding by a few mandatory and ethical payments. Now, the BCB has confirmed that they will be taking control over the ownership and management of the 

"We have taken over the ownership right of the team, and now the board will run the team. We will sit with the players and discuss the next steps," BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hussain was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

In the early hours of the afternoon on Thursday, with less than a day to go for the tournament to kick-start its upcoming season, the franchise had to submit the letter.

"Since the acquisition of the franchise, there have been persistent and widespread speculations in various media outlets regarding the team's uncertainty in participating in the tournament, as well as repeated questions surrounding the franchise's financial and operational credibility. These rumours included, but were not limited to, allegations that franchise fees, bank guarantees, and players' payments had not been made-despite the fact that such payments were not contractually required at those early stages," the letter read.

"I trust the Board will appreciate the seriousness of this matter and act in the best interests of the league, the franchise, and all associated stakeholders. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your guidance and support," the letter read further.

Meanwhile, the board has further clarified that the committee will be sitting with the players and other stakeholders to ensure an uninterrupted continual of BPL, as planned. Notably, the Chattogram-based side is set to play its season opener against Noakhali Express, which makes it interesting to see if the match and the rest of the season can happen as per the original schedule.

"They have given the BCB a letter three hours ago so we have officially taken over the team. It is an unexpected situation. The franchise wrote in the letter that due to media reports, they couldn't find sponsors for the team. We have been strict about integrity and player payment this season. We don't want a situation like the Rajshahi franchise last year," Rahman told ESPNcricinfo.

This is not the first time that BPL has been surrounded by controversies. Last year, overseas player of Rajshahi Royals were left stranded in Bangladesh after the team had denied paying them, causing a massive unrest. The league has also been at the helm of multiple match-fixing and spot-fixing episodes, however, the board has tried to negate that from the upcoming season with the help of CID.