Notably, SQ Sports, owners of the Chittagong Kings franchise and new applicant Desh Travels were not among those invited, indicating early on that they were unlikely to feature in this edition.
It has now been confirmed that two more companies have been dropped from that list, BPL Governing Council member secretary Iftekhar Rahman Mithu confirmed.
Among them, Bangla Mark, which had sought to acquire the Noakhali franchise was excluded after the initial screening process.
Meanwhile, Mind Tree Limited, the company behind Khulna Tigers, will not participate in the upcoming season.
The reason behind their exclusion has not been disclosed. Khulna Tigers had been a regular presence in recent BPL editions, featuring national stars like Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Afif Hossain.
Reports indicate that the 2026 BPL will feature six teams, with eight companies vying for the franchise spots.
“From 11, the number has been brought down to 8. Our chartered accountancy firm… the thing is, many documents were required in the Expression of Interest (EOI) process. These three companies failed to qualify due to shortcomings in their documentation. After the initial scrutiny and evaluation, the BPL Governing Council’s legal department, consultancy firm, and chartered accountancy firm reviewed the submissions of all 11 EOI participants,” regarding the matter, BPL Governing Council member secretary Mithu said to the media today.
He further added, “Three companies failed to meet the requirements in the process — SQ Sports Enterprise, Bangla Mark Limited and Mind Tree & Ruposhi Concrete Limited Consortium. Once the final evaluation report conducted by the legal department, consultancy firm, and chartered accountancy firm is completed, the final list of qualified EOI participants will be officially announced on the 4th.”
Rangpur Riders are expected to retain their franchise rights, while Triangle Services Limited remains in the race for the Chattogram franchise.
Champion Sports Limited has applied for the Dhaka franchise, and SS Group is eyeing Comilla.
Nabil Group and Desh Travels are both vying for the Rajshahi franchise, while Akashbari Holidays has applied for Barishal.
JM Sports Entertainment has expressed interest in owning the Sylhet franchise.
