Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has opined that it is unfair to compare the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Ganguly, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and also turned up for the now-defunct Pune Warriors, also hailed IPL as the “second-best sports league” in the world.

“See, IPL is a different brand. The player availability in the IPL and its financial condition have gone to a different level altogether. It’s the second-best sports league in the world. I don’t want to draw comparisons between the BPL and the IPL. The BPL is also a good league,” Ganguly was quoted as saying to BDcrictime.

The former BCCI chief also revealed that he had a chat with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Najmul Hasan Papon on how to improve the standards of the BPL in the coming years.

“I have talked to Papon bhai regarding how to improve the BPL. There is so much passion in the people of Bangladesh and it’s a blessing that stands remain filled. I will always pray for Bangladesh cricket to grow,” he stated.

Furthermore, Ganguly praised the Bangladesh’s team progress in the last 20 years.

“There is a system in Bangladesh. Their cricket has grown over the last 20 years. They have defeated a team like India, twice at home, something which didn’t happen earlier. There is a lot of merit and their cricket is in the right direction,” he remarked.