BCB to impose stern penalties to make sure bio-bubble isn't compromised

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced that heavy punishments will be imposed on players, clubs and officials of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) if they compromise the bio-bubble integrity at any point in time.

According to a Cricbuzz report, 12 participant teams will enter the bubble on May 29 at the four hotels - Sonargaon, Four Seasons, Intercontinental and Lakeshore ahead of the league that resumes on May 31.

The report also added that the BCB would bear the complete expenditure of setting up these systems in place.

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BCB's stern measures in case of a bubble-breach

Teams stand to lose points while players could be suspended if they breach the bio-bubble, the BCB has announced.

"Points can be deducted while there is a provision of fines including suspension of players/officials if bio-bubble is breached," said Ali Hossain, secretary of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM).

"We have a COVID-19 disciplinary committee and they will look after the matter and make a decision in this regard according to the clause mentioned by us for the teams," he added.

Meanwhile, the CCDM also insisted that cricketers earning over BDT 10 lakh will face a 20% paycut for the upcoming edition. This was to lessen the financial burden of the clubs amid the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

"Players earning more than BDT 10 lakh in DPL will have a 20 percent reduction as you all know that it's hard to bear all the expenses during the time of corona. We have spoken with the cricketers and they are ready to accept it," Hossain explained.

Nearly 300 cricketers, coaches and officials have undergone the COVID-19 test ahead of the league restart, of which nine tested positive.

However, the BCB was not too perturbed over the issue as league protocols in place mandate isolation of positive-tested players in separate areas. The other players will go through another test before they enter the bio-bubble on May 29.

The DPL 2019-20 season was postponed on March 19 last year after just one completed round of matches. This was done in agreement with measures taken to fight the pandemic outbreak in the country.

The competition will now have a fresh start and will be played in a T20 format.