Match-fixing surface in BPL 2025-26; BCB launches stern investigation

The Bangladesh Premier League 2025-26 kicked off on December 26.

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2025-26) season has been rocked by suspicions of match-fixing, prompting the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to launch a rigorous investigation through its integrity unit.

The unit identified “credible suspicion” of corrupt practices, leading to the questioning of several players and the seizure of mobile phones from franchise officials.

While no individuals have been formally charged or found guilty, the actions have created significant unrest among teams and players.

“As part of standard integrity procedures, several foreign players have been spoken to privately as witnesses in order to verify recruitment processes, contractual arrangements, and payment structures. Such meetings are confidential and preventive in nature, and do not imply that any player is under investigation or has already been found guilty”, read the BCB statement.

The controversy gained public attention when Dhaka Capitals’ chief executive, Atik Fahad, accused integrity officials of intruding into Afghan star Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s hotel room in Sylhet. Gurbaz, reportedly mentally distressed by the scrutiny, even considered withdrawing from the tournament midway.

“The anti-corruption unit should have at least considered this before going to such a player, but this type of behaviour with a big player is something neither he can accept nor can we accept. Going into the room of a big foreign player – someone who is playing in the ILT20 and elsewhere – and creating trouble like that”, remarked Atik Fahad, Dhaka Capitals chief executive.

Dhaka captain Mohammad Mithun confirmed that the off-field issues had impacted team morale. The matter was eventually resolved with support from the squad. Similarly, Noakhali Express protested the officials’ conduct after their players and staff were questioned, highlighting the mental and operational toll on franchises already facing financial losses.

“If the management is not content mentally, if my players are not content, what better result can we expect? We are running the BPL while losing BDT 2-3 crore every year. On top of that, if we are mentally tortured like this, I don’t know how we can stay competitive or continue to operate a franchise.

If this situation continues, we won’t have the courage to continue at all. I invest money, absorb losses, bring CSR funds from different companies, and then leave with humiliation. That is simply not possible”, stated Atik Fahad, Dhaka Capitals chief executive.

The BCB defended its measures as routine and preventive, aligned with ICC anti-corruption guidelines. Emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy, the board noted that such steps have reduced suspicious activities by approximately 80% in recent years, aiming to safeguard the league’s integrity without violating player rights.

BPL’s history of fixing accusations

This is not the first time that BPL has faced allegations of match-fixing. In the 2013 edition, nine individuals, including players and officials, were charged with match-fixing and spot-fixing offenses by an ICC tribunal, leading to bans for several, such as former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful.

More recently, the 2024-25 season saw 36 suspicious incidents flagged, with bookies allegedly offering up to Tk 4 billion to fix a match, and investigations confirming irregularities across eight games and four teams.

These recurring scandals highlight the persistent challenge of corruption in the T20 league, prompting the BCB to move towards stricter reforms, including calls to criminalize match-fixing.

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