Fortune Barishal defends title, Chittagong Kings's dream crushed

Fortune Barishal secured the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title for the second consecutive time. In the final held at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday (February 7), they defeated Chittagong Kings by 3 wickets, shattering Chattogram’s hopes. Chasing a target of 195 runs, Tamim Iqbal’s team reached the target in 19.3 overs. As a result, Chattogram missed the chance to win their first BPL title.

While chasing, Barishal captain Tamim Iqbal played aggressively from the start, well supported by Towhid Hridoy. However, after completing his half-century, Tamim had to return to the pavilion. In the ninth over, with the team’s score at 76, he got out after scoring 54 runs off 29 balls.

Dawid Malan, who came at number three, failed to make an impact and got out for just 1 run. In the 11th over, with the team at 96, Hridoy (32 off 28 balls) also got out, putting Barishal under pressure. Then, Mushfiqur Rahim and Kyle Mayers counter-attacked, adding 34 runs in just 14 balls. Mushfiqur was dismissed after scoring 16 runs off 9 balls. Mayers (46 off 28 balls) and experienced Mahmudullah (7 off 11 balls) tried to steer the team to victory, but Barishal stumbled towards the end. However, Rishad Hossain’s quick cameo of 18 runs off 6 balls ensured Barishal’s title win. For the Kings, pacer Shoriful Islam took 4 wickets for 34 runs.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Barishal opted to bowl first. Kings' openers Khawaja Nafay and Parvez Hossain Emon provided a solid start, adding 121 runs in 12.4 overs. Nafay departed after scoring 66 runs off 44 balls, but Parvez Emon and Graham Clark kept the scoreboard moving. Chittagong posted a total of 194 for 3 in 20 overs. Clark played a blistering knock of 44 runs off 23 balls, while Emon remained unbeaten on 78 off 49 balls.