The BPL trophy has been made in Bangladesh, further reducing costs

Ahead of the final of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), captains of the two finalists - Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal - were supposed to pose with the winners' trophy on Thursday. But Barishal's captain Shakib Al Hasan was absent due to health issues and his deputy Nurul Hasan filled in.

The trophy with which Nurul and Imrul Kayes posed was made in Bangladesh. It's the first time that the winners' trophy of the BPL has been made in the country. The trophies presented in the previous seasons were made by 'Inkerman', a British trophy manufacturer based in London. It makes the trophy of the English Premier League (EPL).

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) initially planned to get the BPL trophy made by Inkerman but it couldn't be possible because of Covid-19. The board then entrusted a local company the responsibility of making the trophy. The design of the previous trophies has been retained and gold plating has been done.

"The trophies from the previous seasons were very expensive - about BDT 15 to 16 lakhs. They were made in England. But this time we did not get a chance to get it made in England. We had a plan of arranging a photo session involving all the captains. If we had it made in England, they would not be able to deliver the trophy on time. That's why we decided to make it locally," said an official of the BPL committee. 

"The trophy has been made in Bangladesh. We spent BDT 4 lakhs for the trophy. Gold plating has been done. We tried to make the best possible trophy in Bangladesh. We are satisfied with it," he added.