||CF Correspondent||

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has introduced a new clause in the players draft for the upcoming edition of Dhaka Premier League (DPL) to stop non-payment issues that had often been a source of embarrassment for them.

Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) is scheduled to host the players draft on February 18 retaining the controversial players by choice system, while they are planning to start the DPL- country's prestigious club based 50-over tournament from March 1.

Since CCDM re-introduced the player-by-choice transfer system in 2017 shelving the players' transfer process that was used earlier where clubs picked players of their choice by mutual agreement, it also had its share of controversies with non-payment issues.

Clubs wanted the return of the players-by-choice process for DPL in 2017 due to exorbitant payment demanded by the top players after they were approached for traditional players transfer system.

BCB was forced to re-introduce the players-by-choice system but along the way, it also became the guarantor on behalf of the clubs if any non-payment issues arise.

“Naturally BCB is the guarantor and so if the club doesn’t clear it by the end of the deadline we will inform it to the board and a decision in this regard will be taken thereafter’’ he added.

According to CCDM in-charge BCB introduced the new clause just to make sure they don’t have to face similar embarrassment in future.

“In the new draft we have included a clause that suggests if the clubs failed to clear the payment by our deadline BCB reserve the rights to turn action against the team including docking points and suspension from the league,’’ said Towhid.

“We have discussed it in the meeting and inserted the clause on the written basis in the draft policy rules,’’ he said while clearing the issues when his attention was raised citing a similar thing was also initiated during the last BPL on a verbal basis.