The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the country’s biggest sporting event, has incurred heavy financial losses over the last three editions despite its popularity and commercial appeal.

According to financial documents obtained and reviewed by Sports Mail, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) suffered a combined deficit of more than Tk 40.52 crore across the 10th, 11th and 12th editions of the tournament.

The income and expenditure statements reveal that expenses exceeded revenues in all three seasons. Altogether, the total loss stood at Tk 40,52,04,069.

The biggest loss came in the latest, 12th edition of the BPL. For the financial period from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, the BCB recorded a deficit of Tk 19,90,32,546.

In that edition, total income was Tk 36,11,67,850, while expenditure reached Tk 56,02,00,396.

The tournament was organised amid various controversies under the leadership of Aminul Islam Bulbul-led BCB administration, where Aminul himself also served as chairman of the BPL Governing Council.

Before that, the 11th edition of the tournament, conducted during Faruque Ahmed’s tenure, resulted in a loss of Tk 14,06,51,173. The season generated Tk 56,88,94,391 in revenue against expenses of Tk 70,95,45,564.

The BPL had also experienced losses during the board led by Nazmul Hassan Papon, in addition to the short-term administrations of Faruque Ahmed and Aminul Islam.

In the 10th edition, the BCB incurred a deficit of Tk 6,55,20,350. Total income that season was Tk 44,03,53,036, while expenses amounted to Tk 50,58,73,386.

A breakdown of the accounts shows that although the tournament earned substantial revenue from broadcast rights, franchise fees and ticket sales, costs related to television production, logistics, prize money, security and operational management significantly increased overall expenditure.

In particular, during the 12th edition, the BCB showed revenue of Tk 4.75 crore from “Chattogram Royals”, while expenses related to the same franchise exceeded Tk 11.70 crore.

The latest edition also saw considerable spending on the opening ceremony, security arrangements, media operations and committee expenses.

While the BPL has long been promoted as one of the most commercially attractive sporting properties in Bangladesh, the financial records reviewed by Sports Mail indicate that the tournament is yet to become profitable for the BCB.

Recently, current BCB chief Tamim Iqbal also spoke about the issue and reportedly suggested that it would be better not to hold the tournament at all if it continues in the same manner.