Dhaka, Dec. 26 -- The 12th season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) gets under way on Friday, but the build-up to the country's flagship T20 competition has been dominated by organisational uncertainty and a series of off-field issues that have once again placed the tournament under scrutiny.

There has been no captains' photo shoot, no official trophy unveiling and, with the tournament about to begin, even the trophy itself has yet to be finalised. The title sponsor has also not been announced -- a situation rarely seen in established franchise leagues.

The BPL has long carried a reputation for off-field issues, and despite changes at board and governing council level, many of those concerns remain. This season begins with familiar...