Clubs eye long-term gains from Super League slot

At least two Super League places are up for grabs in the final round of matches in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League's first phase. In the race to keep themselves among the six teams of the Super League, the clubs also have the next BCB elections in mind - even though they are more than a year away.

Three teams - Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club, Victoria Sporting Club and Legends of Rupganj - have all but secured their Super League spots. Six other teams - Mohammedan Sporting Club, Abahani Limited, Gazi Group Cricketers, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Kalabagan Krira Chakra and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club - are also in the running, going into the final round. They have more than just a passing interest in keeping themselves in the advantageous position of a Super League berth.

This is because, according to Article 9.2.A of the BCB's constitution, each Super League club will have two members in the BCB's general council. The other six Dhaka Premier League clubs have one each, just like all the clubs in the Dhaka First Division Cricket League clubs, the top 12 Dhaka Second Division Cricket League clubs and the top eight Dhaka Third Division Cricket League clubs. These are called category 2 among the councilors.

The same article states that the "standing earned based on the result of the last finished cricket season will be counted for a membership in the general council". This means that the councilors eligible to vote in the elections will therefore only be counted if the league seasons have ended.

Clubs this season are wary that if the 2016-17 seasons of all four Dhaka Leagues - Premier, First, Second and Third - do not end before the election period, the standings from 2015-16 will be used for voting purposes in the next BCB elections, which are not scheduled before October 2017.

This eventuality is possible given Bangladesh's busy international schedule starting October 2016. The Dhaka Premier League clubs have often shown reluctance to hold the league when their big players are on international duty.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that one part of the BCB is in favour of holding the elections using the 2015-16 standings since it would be favourable to their fortunes. It has made the rest of the clubs think of safety in numbers, since having two members in the council will give them more bargaining power.

A delay in the Dhaka leagues in 2016-17 would not help the professional cricketers for whom the Dhaka league is the main source of income.

The other voters in the elections comprise one councilor each from all eight divisions and 64 districts in Bangladesh (called category 1). National Cricket League champion sides and runners-up, school boards, public universities, the National Sports Council (NSC), BKSP and other associations and organisations (called category 3) also provide councilors.

But it is the Dhaka clubs who hold the most clout in the BCB. The Dhaka clubs' councilors will vote to elect 12 directors among themselves while the divisions and districts will vote to elect 10 directors among their councilors. The NSC chooses three directors out of the councilors from all three categories and another director from among the category 3 councilors.