The players informed team management of their reluctance to go to training on Monday morning, with the club telling the media: “The team has decided to take today as a rest day.” News soon spread that Rajshahi’s local players had forced the management to take this decision after spending the last two weeks without payment. However, overseas players and coaching staff were paid 25% of the total fee after the fourth game of the season against Fortune Barishal on January 6.
“I am speaking on behalf of the BCB president,” Manjur said. “The chairman of the board has called an emergency board meeting on Zoom. I was on site and the other board members were online. Negotiations are ongoing. We hope to find a solution tomorrow. The chairman will speak directly to team owners, captains and players. “The positive tone that all parties will attend tomorrow’s practice is the most positive aspect of the negotiations.”
The BPL Governing Council has set a payment schedule for franchises to pay 50% of the total fee to all players before the start of the tournament, 25% during the tournament and the remaining 25% after the tournament.
The BPL management committee also directed the team to provide a bank guarantee of BDT 8 crore (approximately USD 657,000) to BCB, but the franchise requested this amount to be reduced to BDT 3 crore (approximately USD 246,000). Nonetheless, Fortune Barishal is the only team to have paid a bank guarantee to BCB.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that some of Rajshahi’s local players’ checks bounced on January 9. This led to the players threatening to withdraw from the January 10 match against Khulna Tigers. Team owner Shafique Rahman told the players they would receive their salaries on January 14, but even then they were not paid.
ESPNcricinfo also found that Rajshahi’s daily allowance payment was irregular. The players had to cover their own costs from January 5 to 11, when ESPNcricinfo last contacted them.
Anamul revealed the payment issues as early as December 30. At the post-match press conference after Rajshahi’s tournament opener against Barishal, Anamul said the players were yet to be paid their first installment.
“We didn’t get paid. None of us got paid,” he said. “We don’t want to increase the negative image of the tournament as the BPL has just started. The whole world is watching the BPL.”
The players have been reluctant to go on record about the payment issue, but there is an uneasy atmosphere inside the Rajshahi camp.
