As the tenth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) begins on January 19, the challenge of forging its own identity persists nearly 11 years since the tournament's inception.

The frequent shuffle of franchises, and their names as a result, has fans and players alike discussing whether to refer to the individual franchises that represent a given region as their home team.

For example, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, who hails from Magura district in Khulna division, will play for Rangpur Riders, whereas Chattogram-born Tamim Iqbal will represent Fortune Barishal in the upcoming instalment of the country's lone franchise-based T20 tournament.

When it comes to the Indian Premier League (IPL), every cricket fan is aware of which core group of players are referred to when the names of Kolkata Knight Riders or Chennai Super Kings are mentioned. Likewise, the fanbases for those franchises are formidable.

However, such ties from fans and cricketers to their particular franchises have yet to be realised in the BPL owing to the continual change of club owners. It thus hampers the true goal of franchise cricket around the world, which is to develop brand value and loyalty to their region.

With less than two weeks until the start of the upcoming BPL, it is likely that even the players of the respective teams, let alone the supporters, are unaware of who their teammates are since the franchises have not done much to promote their region to create the vibe.

Star-studded Barishal began optional training at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur a few days ago. With Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah Riyad in their ranks, the franchisee could have used their star power to attract regional fans through promotional activities.

The lack of bonding among the team's players has also been evident, with Barishal head coach Mizanur Rahman Babul admitting it. He hopes that the cricketers will be able to adapt once the tournament gets underway.

"I think the culture of building team bonding is yet to happen in BPL for various reasons. Since the BPL is starting from January 19, some of the foreign players are expected to arrive just before the opening game," Babul told the media yesterday.

"From this point obviously, we won't be able to have a great bonding to be honest. But since there's a lot of competitive tournaments going on around the world, I think it doesn't take much time for the professional players to have that bonding and show their skills. It's an easy thing for the players and they know how to accommodate."

Comilla Victorians, in this context, remain a notable exception. They had been able to retain some consistency in terms of building a stable fan following over the years by running a few promotional events, gaining players' loyalty in the process.

Prior to the commencement of this BPL, Sylhet Strikers organised a bowler hunt campaign in Sylhet and other areas, following which 13 aspiring cricketers were selected from a trial of approximately 900 cricketers. The fortunate individuals will have the opportunity to bowl at national team cricketers and international stars at the nets before and during the competition.

It is high time that the BPL governing council, in collaboration with the team owners, put a greater effort than before to leverage brand value, so that loyalty and bonding can be fostered among cricketers and fans.