Dhaka Gladiators is first BPL champion.

Champion team Dhaka Gladiators

Dhaka Gladiators become the champions of the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 on Wednesday as they beat Barisal Burners by eight wickets in the final.

Imran Nazir starred for the Gladiators with a sparkling 75 and was out with only five runs from victory having hit six sixes and an equal number of fours. He flicked a delivery off Alauddin Babu to Ahmed Shehzad at mid'wicket.

Anamul Haque was unbeaten on 49 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Both have been dropped and also survived close run-out calls.

Nazimuddin (13) was the only man out with a sliced drive trying to go inside out over cover but was caught by Alauddin Babu at cover point as Suhrawardy Shuvo strick with his first ball.

Earlier, captain Brad Hodge kept his cool as wickets tumbled around to take Barisal Burners to 140 for 7 in 20 overs.

Hodge led from the front with an unbeaten 70 off 57 balls. Hogde single handedly gave Barisal some hope in the final after Ahmed Shehzad, who was the star in the previous game, failed and none of the others hung in with the captain.

Farhad Hossain (11) got a thin edge while playing a square drive off a faster Shahid Afridi delivery and it was held superbly by wicket-keeper Dhiman Ghosh. Mominul Haque (11) was the man back to the hutches before him, trying to run a wide Naved-ul-Hasan delivery down with an open face, giving Dhiman an easy diving catch.

A clueless Mithun Ali (1) was perished caught by Imran Nazir at deep mid-wicket, trying to slog-sweep Shahid Afridi. Phil Mustard went back before him for 5, trapped lbw by a Saeed Ajmal slider.

Ahmed Shehzad, fresh from Tuesday's 113 of 49 balls in the semifinal, failed to get the elevation and was out caught by Ajmal at mid-off trying to bludgeon an Afridi delivery. He gave his side a rollicking start for his 28 off 20 balls.

Shehzad was dropped on 15 by Dhiman when the opener top-edged the big hit, with Dhiman failing to even touch the ball.

In front of a sellout crowd, Gladiators captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and decided to bowl first in the star-studded finale which is being beamed live by Channel 9. The average first innings total in the BPL is 162.

Barisal Burners reached final by a thumping eight-wicket win over Duronto Rajshahi in the first semi-final while Dhaka Gladiators scraped to the final edging out Khulna Royal Bengals by nine runs.

Each team won five matches out of ten in the league so far.

Dhaka have been dominant in the head-to-head clashes in the league phase, winning the first one on Feb 14 by 21 runs, despite a scorching 116 by Chris Gayle, his second century on the same pitch. The second victory on Feb 25 was more convincing, by five wickets.

Barisal Burners : Ahmed Shehzad, Brad Hodge(c), Phil Mustard(w), Mithun Ali, Mominul Haque, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Mohammad Nazmul Islam, Kabir Ali, Farhad Hossain, Alauddin Babu, Yasir Arafat

Dhaka Gladiators : Imran Nazir, Nazimuddin, Mohammad Ashraful, Azhar Mahmood, Shahid Afridi, Anamul Haque, Dhiman Ghosh(w), Elias Sunny, Naved-ul-Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Mashrafe Mortaza(c)

Humdinger promises final fireworks

Dhaka Gladiators and Barisal Burners go head-on in the final at 6pm on Wednesday of the first Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 that has had more than its fair share of controversy.

In front of a presumably sellout crowd, the star-studded finale of the inaugural edition is expected to keep both the players and the spectators on the edge. Channel 9 will beam the match live from Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Barisal are literally back from the dead after being told that they were out of the semifinal fray but a last-minute, controversial change of heart by the BPL governing body saw them edge out Chittagong Kings. The uncertainty about their being in the final four had little effect on the Burners. They seized the opportunity and thrashed Duronto Rajshahi by 8 wickets in an emphatic chase in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

The Burners have sizzling Ahmed Shehzad, the 19-year old Pakistani, who blazed to an unbeaten 113 off 49 balls to decimate Rajshahi. He also smashed the fastest century in the tournament, off 40 balls, in that match and has hardly let the team feel the absence of his opening partner Chris Gayle and his power-hitting due to injury and then IPL commitment.

Shehzad is the highest scorer in the competition with his previous six innings including a hundred, two half-centuries and two 40s.

Their rivals Dhaka Gladiators won the second semi-final against Khulna Royal Bengals by 9 runs. They a]too have aggressive players like Imran Nazir, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahid Afridi, and Saeed Ajmal.

They also have Elias Sunny, the left-arm spinner who currently is the joint top wicket-taker with Mohammad Sami of Rajshahi. He derailed the Royal Bengals' chase in the semi-final with a double-strike in his first over – taking out Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith.

Dhaka, however, have been dominant in the head-to-head clashes in the league phase, winning the first one on Feb 14 by 21 runs, despite a scorching 116 by Gayle, his second century. The second victory on Feb 25 was more convincing, by five wickets.

But the final, as they say, is altogether a different ball game.

Chittagong kick out from BPL

	Chittagong Kings won five games in the BPL but were judged not to have qualified for the SE Tim-finals after much confusion © BPS 20 Enlarge

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News : Cloud over BPL after fixing arrest

Teams: Bangladesh

Chittagong Kings  have threatened to pull out of the next edition of the Bangladesh Premier League because they were replaced in the semi-finals of this year's tournament hours after being officially deemed to have qualified. The matter descended into farce, with the BPL first making a clear statement on Monday saying Chittagong were one of the semi-finalists and then, at 2:45am on Tuesday morning, issuing a release saying that in fact Barisal Burners were the fourth semi-finalists. The situation became murkier on Tuesday as the Chittagong franchise alleged that the BPL had also not responded to their reports of being approached to fix matches.

Nasir Ahmed, the Chittagong manager, said the manner in which Chittagong had been ousted from the knockout phase was an "injustice". "We rushed to the stadium [at night] and on arrival we were given a letter which said Barisal are through to the semi-final and we are out," he said. "We were stunned as this could not happen according to the tournament's bylaws. This is an injustice and we want a remedy."

On Sunday evening, after Barisal had chased down Chittagong's score in 15 overs, it was announced by the broadcasters that Barisal were through to the semi-finals on the basis of net run-rate. This, according to Mike Procter, BPL match-referee and technical committee member, was a false announcement. "It didn't come from us, nothing official came from us," Procter said. "If the television [broadcasters] speculate and if you guys [the media] speculate, we do not take the responsibility.

At that point, Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna Royal Bengals and Dhaka Gladiators were equal on 10 points. On Monday, Dhaka lost narrowly to Rajshahi and Khulna beat Sylhet Royals. By virtue of 12 points from 10 games, Khulna went to second place, leaving Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong tied on points at the end of the league phase.

In the head-to-head results between the three teams level on 10 points, Dhaka had beaten Barisal twice and Chittagong once and therefore qualified for the semi-finals in third place. That now left Chittagong and Barisal in contention for the fourth spot. Chittagong had two wins, against Barisal and Dhaka, while Barisal had only one, against Chittagong. Barisal's net run-rate, however, was better than that of Chittagong.

On Monday evening, BPL governing council chairman Gazi Ashraf Hossain officially announced the semi-final line-up. "According to the rules Rajshahi, Khulna, Dhaka and Chittagong are through," he said. He produced a photocopied page from the by-laws where clause 21.8.2 was pointed out. It said: "when three or more teams finish with equal wins in the league, then the team(s) which was (were) the winner of the most number of matches played between those equal teams in the league will be placed in the higher position(s). If after applying this criterion, there are many items which are still equal, then such equal teams shall be ranked according to their net run-rate in the league."

It was announced that Chittagong were in the semi-finals on the basis of a better head-to-head record in the three-way tie on 10 points, which included Dhaka.

At 2.45 am on Tuesday morning, however, the BPL issued a release which said that Barisal was the fourth semi-finalist. The second and third points in the release said:

"(2) Three teams - Dhaka Gladiators, Barisal Burners and Chittagong Kings are on equal (10) points. Dhaka Gladiators have most wins from meetings with Barisal Burners and Chittagong Kings and therefore qualify as the 3rd semi-finalist.

"(3) With Barisal Burners and Chittagong Kings both having one win against each other the 4th qualifier had to be decided on the basis of superior net run-rate. Barisal edged ahead of Chittagong on net run-rate to become the 4th semi-finalist."

Procter explained that the confusion arose because there were two clauses: one concerning a situation in which three teams were equal on points (21.8.2) and one referring to a similar situation with two teams (21.8.1). The former was used to decide Dhaka's qualification, which left Chittagong and Barisal level, meaning clause 21.8.1 would come into effect and Chittagong's win against Dhaka would not be counted.

"Because they ended up with the most points Dhaka were taken out of the equation," Procter said. "Two teams were left. So you could not have a head-to-head between three teams, but only two."

Chittagong, though, were left fuming and their chief executive has now also said they had been approached to fix matches. These claims come a day after the arrest of a Pakistani citizen, who was attending BPL matches, on suspicions of involvement in fixing.

"We have been approached by unknown callers at three times to fix matches," the Chittagong chief executive Sameer Quader Chowdhury said. "We informed the BPL governing council in writing but did not get any response. Even the man arrested on suspicion the other day was first identified by us."

He also said that Chittagong were considering pulling out of the tournament, though the franchise had been bought for three years. "We have invested a lot in this tournament [but] if this trend continues, we will not participate from the next edition."

Another bone of contention for the Chittagong Kings was that the official scoring website (digicricket.marssil.com) showed Chittagong above Barisal in the head-to-head count till 11am in the morning but later had N/A (not applicable) filled for each team in the head-to-head column.

RAjshahi vs Barisal fighting in 1st semi final

The first semi-final of the BPL will have the team that finished first in the league playing the team that finished fourth. Duronto Rajshahi finished first, with 14 points, but until 2.00 am on the morning of the semi-final, it wasn't clear who finished fourth.

Initially, on Sunday, it was announced that Barisal Burners were through to the semis, after their victory against Chittagong Kings, on the basis of net run-rate. At that point, the other two spots were going to be contested between Chittagong, Khulna Royal Bengals and Dhaka Gladiators.

On Monday, after Dhaka lost narrowly to Rajshahi and Khulna beat Sylhet Royals, Khulna went to second place with 12 points, leaving Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong tied on 10 points at the end of the league phase.

In the head-to-head results between the teams level on 10 points, Dhaka had beaten Barisal twice and Chittagong once and had a superior net-run rate and qualified for the semi-finals in third place. That now left Chittagong and Barisal in contention for the fourth spot.

Chittagong had two wins, against Barisal and Dhaka, while Barisal had only one, against Chittagong. Barisal's net run-rate, however, was better than that of Chittagong. It was initially announced that Chittagong were in the semi-finals, presumably on the basis of a better head-to-head record in the three-way tie on 10 points, which included Dhaka. At 2.45 am this morning, however, the BPL issued a release which said that Barisal was the fourth semi-finalist, presumably because their head-to-head record with Chittagong - not including Dhaka who had already qualified - was tied and they had a better net run-rate.

The upshot of all this confusion was that Rajshahi had ample time to prepare mentally for their knockout clash, while their opponents were left in limbo until the wee hours of the morning.

BPL semifinals today

 Duronto Rajshahi captain Mushfiqur Rahim expressed his desires to be champion of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 after leading the group phase with maximum wins. “We are looking forward to the next match so that we could win the match. Our first target was to play in the semi-final. We have already achieved it. Second target is to win the semi-final properly and play the final to become champions,” said Mushfiqur Rahim.
Duronto Rajshahi will take on Chittagong Kings, which placed fourth in points table, in the first semi-final while Khulna Royal Bengals, the second placed side will face off third placed Dhaka Gladiators in the second semi-final on Tuesday. 

Points Table

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Rajshahi	10	7	3	0	0	14	+0.114
Khulna	10	6	4	0	0	12	+0.606
Dhaka	10	5	5	0	0	10	+0.210
Barisal	10	5	5	0	0	10	+0.178
Chittagong	10	5	5	0	0	10	+0.078
Sylhet	10	2	8	0	0	4	-1.234

Earlier it was known that Barisal Burners cruised to the last-four spot by virtue of net run-rate but the BPL governing council later confirmed that Barisal were eliminated from the race in terms of win-loss ratio amongst three teams- Dhaka, Chittagong and Barisal which had same 10 points in as many matches.
“Barisal lost to Dhaka two times while lost to Chittagong in first leg match. Chittagong won against Barisal in first leg and won against Dhaka in second leg. When we calculated the win-loss ratio we saw Barisal lost maximum matches. Barisal lost three times out of four matches against the two teams. Chittagong lost two while Dhaka one. As the points of the three teams remained same, we had to count the win-loss ratio,” BPL governing council chairman Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu explained.
All media on Sunday night published the news that Barisal confirmed the semi-final spot in terms of better net run rate as the Channel 9, official broadcaster of the BPL transmitted the news. The news eventually confused all media house in a crucial period.
“The explanation was provided earlier was wrong,” Lipu added.
With 14 points Duronto Rajshahi finished with top on the points table though the team started their BPL mission with a 53- run humiliation to Chittagong Kings. The team played ten matches, where they won seven and lost three matches.
Mushfiqur Rahim also knew that if they could chase down the Dhaka’s target inside 16 overs, Chittagong Kings will move into semi-final.
“I knew if we could win inside 16 overs, Chittagong would have chance. But as we lost some wickets early, we had to change the plan,” Rahim said.
In the last night, Barisal also was provided the data that if they could win the match inside 16 overs, they would book the seat in semi-final. They did so exactly and celebrated wildly like no one has seen before. But after a day, the dream was shattered completely.
However on the day which created lot of drama and farce, Mohammad Sami marked it with his career best Twenty20 bowling regardless the international or domestic circuit.
“Definitely, I’m very happy for it as I got five for six runs, which is my best bowling figure in the Twenty20 cricket game,” said Mohammad Sami, who made the lone hat-trick in the tournament.
Dhaka Gladiators were also tensed since they were informed that they would have to prevent Rajshahi from winning the match inside 16 overs. Dhaka exactly did so which created an enormous pressure on their nerve but eventually it was proved they had to endure all those mental pressure for wrong reason.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that Pakistani hard-hitting batsman Shahid Afridi along with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and opener Awais Zia  will land Dhaka on Tuesday morning to play for Dhaka Gladiators in the semifinals

Afridi to join Gladiators today

Shahid Afridi

 

Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal are set to join Dhaka Gladiators today for their semi-final match in the Bangladesh Premier League, said the franchise on Monday.

The duo are expected to land at 8:00am at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, hours before Dhaka Gladiators are scheduled to take on Khulna Royal Bengals in the second semi-final at 6:30pm.

Afridi was picked by Dhaka for $700,000 in BPL auction, the highest amount paid to any player, though

the all-rounder always insisted that he will prefer the national team duty to BPL.

Pakistan’s series against England ended on Monday and keeping that in mind Dhaka just took the chance said the Dhaka official.

Afridi’s presence has become more crucial as they are set to lose West Indian hard-hitter Kieron Pollard today for his commitment with the national team.

Fixing arrest takes BPL by storm

Nasir Jamshed

The arrest of a suspected Pakistani bookie took the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament by a storm on Monday as players, officials were seen busy discussing the issue.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board captured Karachi resident Sajid Khan during a match on Sunday and took him to the visiting Anti-Corruption and Security Unit official before handing him over to Mirpur police.

BCB security chief Misbahuddin Serniabat said they have found the bank accounts of Nasir Jamshed of Chittagong Kings and the e-mail address of Dhaka Gladiators’ Rana Naveed-ul Hasan in the mobile phone inbox of Sajid Khan.

The police produced him before the chief metropolitan magistrate court on Monday and sought a five-day remand. The court granted remand for two days remand for further questioning.

Serniabat said during preliminary interrogation Sajid confessed to them about having a financial dealing with Chittagong Kings cricketer Jamshed, who is now at the centre of all controversy.

The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, a private agency recruited by the BPL to work in the tournament, took very little time to quiz Jamshed.

The Pakistani was the top scorer in the BPL until this week when his form dramatically dipped. He made 290 runs in the first eight matches, but scored only 38 runs in last two matches, both of which Chittagong lost.

‘An ACSU official and an ICC match referee came to the hotel and quizzed Jamshed,’ said Nasir Ahmed, the manager of the player’s BPL franchise Chittagong Kings.

‘They had some specific allegations against the player, which they gathered after quizzing the arrested man,’ he added.

Jamshed played 12 one-day internationals for Pakistan and scored 353 runs at 35.30. His last ODI was against Sri Lanka in 2009.

BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus said it is now up to the police if they will quiz Jamshed or impose an embargo on his leaving Bangladesh.

‘The matter is now at the hands of police and they will do whatever they feel necessary. We are ready to cooperate with the police but there will be no formal investigation on behalf of us,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Gladiators captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza played down the significance of Rana Naveed’s e-mail address in the mobile inbox of arrested Sajid Khan and said it can always happen.

‘To have my e-mail address in your inbox does not necessarily mean I have some connection with you,’ he said. ‘It can always happen and we are not taking it very seriously.’

Mashrafee made the spot-fixing allegation first when he claimed that he was approached by a former cricketer just  days before the tournament began.

‘I am not thinking of it now and concentrating on my game,’ said Mashrafee.

Rajshahi finish top in group phase

Momammd Sami( 5 wi 6 run)

Dhaka Gladiators are through to the semi-final in the Bangladesh Premier League despite a three-wicket loss to Duronto Rajshahi in their last round robin league match in Dhaka on Monday.

Mohammad Sami became the first bowler to claim five wickets in BPL when he finished with a figure of 5-6 helping Rajshahi dismiss Gladiators for 116 runs in 18.2 overs.

Rajshahi in reply reached to 120-7 with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim staying unbeaten on 40. When Rajshahi went on to chase they were told that if they can win this match in 15.4 overs Dhaka will be eliminated from the tournament on the basis of net run rate, though it became irrelevant at the end.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board later in a clarification said that head-to-head record will be taken in to consideration before net run rate and in that count Dhaka and Chittagong Kings were both through to the semi-final even before this match.

However, neither Rajshahi nor Dhaka had any idea about this dubious rule and played for the run rate.

Dhaka captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza used all of his four specialist bowlers in the first 16 overs to prevent Rajshahi from winning the match before 15.4 overs and he was successful.

Mashrafee and Azhar Mahmood struck in the first two overs to reduce Rajshahi to 10-2 and they could not recover from the damage. When Elias Sunny dismissed Sean Ervine they were reduced to 5-74 in 12.4 overs and Rajshahi immediately decided not to take their chance.

With the win Rajshahi, with 14 points from 10 matches, ended the group phase on top of the table.

Smith leads Khulna to big win

Dwayne Smith smashed an unbeaten century to lead Khulna Royal Bengals to a 69-run win over Sylhet Royals in the last round robin match of the Bangladesh Premier League on Monday.

With the semi-final line-up already decided, the match bore little significance as Khulna had secured their berth in the knockout phase before taking the field while Sylhet had been eliminated long ago.

Still Smith made the match memorable for him, hitting 103 from 73 balls with six fours and as many sixes to take Khulna to 186-2 in their 20 overs.

Smith, the only player to get a century in the BPL other than Chris Gayle, added 82 runs with Herschelle Gibbs (41 from 28 balls) for the second wicket and 100 runs for the unbroken third wicket with Sakib al Hasan, who made 21 not out.

Abdur Razzak, Sakib, Shahadat Hossain and Nasir Hossain grabbed two wickets each as Sylhet were all out for 117 runs in 16 overs for their eighth defeat in 10 matches.

Shohail Tanveer scored highest 26 not out for Sylhet. Khulna, who finished second in the first phase with 12 points, will face Dhaka Gladiators in the second semi-final at 6.30pm today.

Chittagong Kings to move court

Just two hours to the first semi-final on Tuesday, Chittagong Kings said they will move the court against the BPL's decision to allow Barisal Burners to play Duronto Rajshahi in the second semi-final. "We're taking legal steps. Our representative has already been sent to the court," Samir Quader Chowdhury, CEO of SQ Sports, which owns the Kings, told a media conference at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel around 11:30am. "We've been dropped in defiance of the bylaws. The rule was fixed by mixing the sub-clauses 1 and 2 of clause 21 (8). But a rule can't be made by taking some parts of different sub-clauses," he added. Though Chittagong Kings had beaten Dhaka Gladiators, Samir said, nothing was said about this in the rule. "Rather, the Gladiators were moved into the semi-finals as they have beaten two teams," he said. "And then," he added, "We have been dropped by considering the head-to-head run rate of the match we played against the Burners." Coach Khaled Mahmud and manager Nasir Ahmed were present there. Shafiqul Haque Heera and Faruque Ahmed, the managers of semi-finalists Dhaka Gladiators and Duronto Rajshahi, respectively, and Khulna Royal Bengals media manager Jahid Razzaq Masum were also present in the conference. Dhaka's Heera said his team will support the Kings if they were thrown out illegally. Faruque of Rajshahi said they will also back the Kings if they were dropped unlawfully. He, however, added they are not abandoning the first semi-final against the Burners at 2pm.

DHAKA goes hard point

Bravo 48*

 Chittagong Kings shrugged off the losing jinx in style as they prevailed in a low scoring match brushing aside Dhaka Gladiators by 13 runs at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday to go on second spot in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). A yet another batting debacle put the Kings in trouble as they amassed a modest total of 120 for six which was in no way a score to win against a revamped Dhaka Gladiators. But the spirited Chittagong bowlers persisted rigorously to restrict Dhaka to 107 for nine to seal a much-needed win for the side.
With 10 points in eight matches so far, Chittagong Kings now went on second slot, behind Khulna which topped the table in terms of net run rate.
Chittagong Kings started off in nightmarish way when Mashrafe Bin Mortoza handed inform Nasir Jamshed a second ball duck. Chittagong were without their Icon Tamim Iqbal, who once again was sidelined after feeling pain on his groin. In a slower deck run making was not easier task but still Jahurul Islam and Jason Roy managed to tick the scoreboard relying on singles. Boundaries came occasionally but the pair was rock solid in their approach.
Elias Sunny however appeared in the stage to derail Chittagong when Roy and Omee got going well. Sunny firstly dismissed Roy on 18 with a return catch. Roy’s dismissal also affected Omee as Keiron Pollard got rid of him very soon to shift the momentum to Dhaka. Omee scored 40 off 35 with three fours. Sunny then further caused the damage with removing skipper Mahmudullah Ryad (4) and Shamsur Rahman Shuvo (1).
Amidst the odds Dwayne Bravo kept his head cool and played with utmost confidence to try to recover the collapse. Dhaka however stopped the run flow of Chittagong trapping big hitter Ziaur Rahman run out. Still Bravo hit big in the last power play to propel the side past 100 runs mark.
Bravo finally remained unbeaten on 48 off 43 having clattered two fours and as many sixes.
With the limited resources, Chittagong bowlers showed much composure and bowled in disciplined manner. Chittagong needed early wickets to keep Dhaka in check and Sanjamul Islam gave them so having scalped opener Alex Keerveeze. Arafat Sunny then removed dangerman Azhar Mahmmood to earn a double delight for the side. But the Dhaka’s havoc started once Kevin Cooper, Enamul Haque Junior and Dwayne Bravo came to the stage.
They suffocated the batsmen with exploiting the slower nature of the wicket and Dhaka crumbled awfully. The trio never allowed any batsmen to settle down and gradually Chittagong reached on the verge of the victory. They shared seven wickets between them to derail the chase.
Anamul Haque Bujoy was the highest scorer for Dhaka with run-a-ball 22 while Ashraful made 20 runs. Cooper claimed three while Enamul Junior and Bravo scalped two wickets apiece.
Bravo, who celebrated every wickets and catch in unique way having danced in Caribbean style, was awarded man of the match for his all-round performance.

Chittagong Kings 120 for 6 (Bravo 48*, Jahurul 40, Sunny 3-23) beat Dhaka Gladiators 107 for 9 (Cooper 3-13) by 13 runs   

Scorecard

Sylhet Royals finally opened their account in BPL

Kamran Akmal (72 of 48 balls)

After seven consecutive defeats, the Sylhet Royals finally opened their account in the BPL, albeit a bit late in the day. They turned in a fine all-round performance, beating Duronto Rajshahi by nine wickets thanks to the Pakistan duo of Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal, who starred with ball and bat respectively.

The Rajshahi batsmen looked out of sorts, with the exception of Shahzaib Hasan who scored 54. Tanvir, who dismissed Junaid Siddique, playing onto his stumps, later nipped out two wickets in two balls to leave Rajshahi struggling to mount a competitive score. He could have had a five-wicket haul, had it not been for Alok Kapali's dropped catch at long-on. Tanvir was supported by the right-arm seamer Abul Hasan, who took 3 for 30.

The Sylhet openers, Akmal and Peter Trego, put the chase on course with a stand of 52. Akmal hit three sixes in his unbeaten 72, off 51 balls and ensured Sylhet crossed the finish line with more than three  ()overs to spare. 

 Scorecard

Sylhet Royals 125 for 1 (Akmal 72*) beat Duronto Rajshahi 124 for 9 (Shahzaib 54*, Tanvir 4-13, Hasan 3-30) by nine wickets 

Semi-final race heats up from today

point tabble (25 feb 12)

The last week’s action of the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 will roll on at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium from today with the race for the semi-finals heated up.

With the first season of the BPL inching towards climax, the Khulna Royal Bengals and Duronto Rajshahi are all but certain to make the cut – but there are three other teams who are vying for the semi-final berths as well.

Khulna won five of the eight matches they played and have 10 points under their belt and having a superior net run-rate of +0.62 they are sitting at the top of the points table with only two matches left.

Khulna could have surely confirmed their semi-final ticket if they did not lose to the Barisal Burners in their last match at Chittagong. In fact, the win for the Burners made the semis race wide open with all the franchises, barring Sylhet Royals, have some kind of chances.

Duronto Rajshahi, who are also on 10 points after playing a game lesser than Khulna, are currently the side to beat.

The Rajshahi side, after losing the first two matches, hold the record of five consecutive victories in the BPL and with the flow they are in, they can surely win the rest of their matches to spice up the points table.

Only net run-rate separates Chittagong Kings, Dhaka Gladiators and Barisal Burners in the table as they occupy third, fourth and fifth places respectively with the Kings and the Gladiators playing seven matches each while the Burners played eight.

Sylhet Royals, yet to get a point in the BPL, have lost all of their seven matches they played and are already out of contention, but they too can create a difference if they win their remaining matches against Rajshahi, Chittagong and Khulna.

Chittagong Kings and Dhaka Gladiators will face off today and it will be a battle of nerves as the winners will move ahead in the race for the semi-finals while the losing side will have to come back stronger to book a place in the knockout round.

On the other hand, the second match of the day will feature Rajshahi and Sylhet where a win will surely guarantee Rajshahi as the first team to progress to the final four, but a Sylhet win will delay their celebration.

Barisal’s remaining two matches are against the Gladiators and the Kings and a loss for any of the teams might prove costly as all of them have equal points.

It will be a close fight between the five franchises who are separated by just two points and any slip-up will mean the tournament is over for them.

BPL come back DHAKA

A day's break ensued as the teams travelled from Chittagong to Dhaka, the destination for the final leg of the BPL T20 which will get underway today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, with the race for semifinal places heating up as five teams compete for the four spots.

All of the franchises except the hapless Sylhet Royals, who lost all of their seven matches so far, are in with a chance of progressing to the knockout stage. The last match at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, with Barisal Burners winning against Khulna Royal Bengals, blew the tournament wide open.

Barisal's win puts them level with Chittagong Kings and Dhaka Gladiators on eight points, although both have played a match fewer than Barisal's eight. The completion of the first match today, between Chittagong and Dhaka, will make the picture a bit clearer as the winner will join Khulna and Duronto Rajshahi on ten points at the top of the table. As things stand, a team has to accrue at least twelve points, in other words six wins, to be sure of a semifinal spot.

This means that Chittagong and Dhaka have to win at least two of their last three round-robin games, Barisal need to win both their remaining encounters, Khulna need one win from two games while Rajshahi are best placed needing one victory in their three remaining matches to go through.

On current form, that win for Rajshahi may well come in today's evening match against Sylhet, who are hopelessly out of sorts, having already tried three captains in seven outings. But Sylhet coach Stuart Law will remind his charges that even though they are out of the running, they can still impact the tournament by raining on some parades.

If one had to guess based on the teams' performances so far, Khulna and Rajshahi should make it through with the final two spots being fought over by Dhaka, Chittagong and Barisal.

Today's games should make the picture clearer, but an unlikely victory for Sylhet may well muddy matters further.

Chittagong Kings release Jones and at last include Tamim

 Chittagong team management finally gave opener Tamim Iqbal the permission to play at his home ground but not before much drama.
The team management in a press release on Sunday disclosed that Tamim, suffering groin injury, has been rested considering his injury status as he complained a fresh pain. “Tamim is the icon player of Chittagong Kings and also the most valued cricketer. We are eagerly waiting for him to regain his full fitness before playing him again in the BPL. His services will be more crucial for Chittagong Kings in the knock-out stage and until then he has been rested by the team management,” the media release said.
Tamim was believed to engage in a bust-up with team’s technical director Dean Jones. However the franchise, Tamim and Jones himself dined the matter continuously. However the franchise requested Dean Jones not to join the team after he left Bangladesh for India as he had some commitment with NDTV. The rift between him and Tamim was believed to act as reason to release Jones.
In a meeting on Sunday night, the team management pushed the ball to the Tamim’s court whether he would play the match against Khulna since it was Chittagong’s last match at their cherished venue.
Tamim though was not 100 percent fit and suffering from slight cold fever, he had to play to value his home ground. Since the Asia Cup is knocking at the door and his service would be crucial for the national team, time will say whether the decision was right.

Rajshahi coach Khaled Mashud fined

Khaled Mashud-Duronto Rajshahi coach

Duronto Rajshahi coach Khaled Mashud on Monday became the second person in the Bangladesh Premier League to be fined Tk 15,000 by match referee Mike Procter for entering the ground during the strategic time-out in their match against Barisal Burners at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. According to the law, no officials are allowed to enter the field during the course of play or even during the strategic time-out. Earlier on Saturday, Chittagong Kings’ technical director Dean Jones was fined for the same offence. – New Age

BPL teams to pay tribute to martyrs of language movement
All six teams of the Bangladesh Premier League will pay tribute to the martyrs of the historic language movement at the Chittagong Shaheed Minar at 11:00am today. After paying tribute Duronto Rajshahi, who have no matches left in Chittagong, will head for Cox’s Bazar for  recreation for two days before returning to Dhaka on February 23.

Kings’ home journey ends in a nightmare

Nasir Hossain (42 of 38 balls )

Chittagong Kings’ home journey ended in a nightmare when they were folded for tournament’s lowest total of 93 runs to concede a 44-run defeat to Khulna Royal Bengals in the Bangladesh Premier League on Monday. 

In their pursuit of a small target of 138 runs, the local side made a mess for the second consecutive match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, which now pushed them to second place in the points table for the first time in the tournament.

Khulna joined Duronto Rajshahi at the top of the table after the latter recorded their fifth successive win earlier in the day, this time with a nine-wicket thrashing of Barisal Burners.

It was Kings’ second defeat in as many matches at their home ground following their narrow nine-run loss to Rajshahi earlier on February 18 when they failed to chase down 126 runs.

Until Monday, their 117-9 was the tournament’s lowest total, but little did they know the worst was yet to come. 

Bowlers did a fair job again to help Chittagong restrict Khulna to 137-6, but their joy was short-lived this time too as the batsmen failed to respond.

Even the return of icon player Tamim Iqbal could not help the local side. Tamim could score only five runs after making a dramatic comeback in the side having earlier been rested for the group phase for a groin injury.

Dwayne Smith bowled Tamim to begin Khulna’s wicket-fest and he was soon joined by Sakib al Hasan and Abdur Razzak. Sakib forced in-form Nasir Jamshed (9) to give a catch to Herschelle Gibbs at point before Razzak had Jahirul Islam and Dwayne Bravo out for two and one respectively.

Jason Roy’s attempt to rebuild the innings ended in an unfortunate run-out on 30 following a mix-up with Mahmudullah, who soon fell to occasional leg spinner Marshal Ayub.

Ayub, who notoriously conceded six sixes in  six balls to Naeem Islam in a Dhaka Premier League match last season, this time

claimed three wickets in the same over to extinguish any hopes Chittagong had in  the match before he finished with 4-20.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr took 3-22, including two wickets in two balls, as Chittagong always kept Khulna in check on a wicket that offered sharp turn. 

Nasir Hossain stood tall against all odds and made an invaluable 42 from 38 balls with four fours and a six to give the Khulna innings some respectability.

Nasir later held his nerve to take three catches that earned him the man of the match award ahead of other contender Ayub.

Junaed breaks local duck on BPL T20

Junaid Siddique (89 from 51 balls)

A mightier explosion from Junaed Siddiqui eclipsed the one from Phil Mustard as Duronto Rajshahi chased down a formidable total quite comfortably to script a massive 9-wicket victory against Barisal Burners in the BPL T20 at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

The tournament had been crying out for an innings like Junaed's as the foreigners have been dominating the proceedings. The Rajshahi left-hander did it in emphatic fashion during his unbeaten 89 as Rajshahi overtook Barisal's 192 runs with 2.5 overs to spare.

After two defeats in the first two matches, Rajshahi have bounced back strongly to win five matches in a row, thus increasing their chances of playing in the semifinals with ten points from seven matches. Barisal are on six points from the same number of outings.

It was a very entertaining match for the smallish crowd in terms of power-hitting as 33 boundaries and 18 sixes were deposited, thanks to Barisal's Ahmed Shehzad and Mustard and Rajshahi's Junaed, Shahzaib Hasan and Marlon Samuels.

But in the end it was Junaed who became the hero of the match. Many might have dismissed Rajshahi's chances after Barisal's 192-3 but Junaed said that he was confident of success once he hit the first six through square-leg off Yasir Arafat in the first over.

Chasing the challenging target, Rajshahi made a perfect start as Shahzaib, who smashed six fours and two sixes in his 22-ball 46, and Junaed made use of the indisciplined bowling during their 93-run opening stand in 6.4 overs to set the tone for an easy sail.

Samuels joined the party with an unbeaten 30-ball 54, which saw four boundaries and three sixes, to finish the job in style.

“The first six gave me the confidence. It was actually my day as I could do whatever I wanted to do in the middle. I'm really happy with today's performance because it has boosted my confidence,” said Junaed, who smote five sixes and seven boundaries during his 51-ball unbeaten knock.

Junaed got back his rhythm after a long break and his whirlwind knock also brought back memories of his 134-run knock in the Premier Division Cricket T20 tournament back in 2005-06 at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium.

“I had been going through a long bad patch, so this innings helped me get my confidence back. You know my 134 runs innings for Mohammedan against Sonargaon Cricketers made me known as a cricketer and today's innings gave me a new lease of life to some extent. Now my job is to continue my good performance in the tournament and I'm not thinking about anything other than Duronto Rajshahi,” said an excited Junaed.

“The unity and team spirit was the main reason behind Rajshahi's success after losing the first two matches,” said Junaed when asked how it was possible for Rajshahi to bounce back in the tournament so strongly.

Earlier, Rajshahi got off to a good start when skipper Mushfiqur Rahim took a stupendous catch to send his opposite number Brad Hodge back to the pavilion with Barisal's score on one, but Phil Mustard joined Shehzad to seize the initiative.

The 29-year-old Englishman smote ten fours and three sixes during his unbeaten 58-ball 88 while Shehzad contributed with a 33-ball 44 with two fours and three sixes as Barisal set a daunting task for Rajshahi.

But in the end it was proved that no score is safe in T20s.

Chittagong king fans greet on BPL T20

Chittagong kings

Cricket fans of Chittagong once again proved their love for the game as Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) was greeted with an outstanding attendance in the first two matches on Saturday.

The huge crowd came as an inspiration for the organisers as thousands of cricket lovers poured in at the stands of Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, situated at the port city’s outskirts.

The first match of the day between Khulna Royal Bengals and Sylhet Royals started at 2:00pm.

As the match progressed, the stadium became jam-packed as it awaited the match of between the local team, Chittagong Kings and Duronto Rajshahi.

The fans eagerly waited to see local-boy, Chittagong Kings icon player, Tamim Iqbal in action. However, he was kept out of the playing squad. The weekly holiday also helped the number of attendance.

Colourfully dressed, the fans arrived at the stadium on trucks and other modes of transports. They kept the galleries lively, cheering on with each and every stroke.

However, many fans complained about unavailability of tickets, while students of schools, college and universities urged the organisers to decrease the price of the ticket further, considering their buying capacity.

Chittagong had previously proved its fascination about organising big sports events like, Port City Cricket League (PCL) and the World Cup last year.

Duronto Rajshahi now joint leaders in BPL T20

Saqlain Sajib 3of 22

The atmosphere was electric as the faithful came out in huger numbers to support home side Chittagong Kings, but Duronto Rajshahi spoiled the party by snatching a ninerun victory in a keenly contested match at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

There was a lack of batting fireworks in the low-scoring match but the excitement was provided through a fine bowling effort from Rajshahi.

The two left-arm spinners, Chittagong's Arafat Sunny and Rajshahi's Saqlain Sajib dominated the proceedings under lights, but in the end the effort of Saqlain combined with Pakistan paceman Mohammad Sami brought success for Rajshahi, who continued their winning run with their fourth consecutive victory to share the top spot with Chittagong Kings on eight points.

With the victory Rajshahi also avenged their first-leg defeat against the same opponents.

Rajshahi's dream seemed to be dashed when they were restricted to 126 for six in their share of 20 overs but the bowlers did an excellent job to deliver the win.

Sunny did the main damage in the Rajshahi innings by taking three wickets for 13 runs.

In reply, Chittagong made a confident start but lost composure once Jahurul Islam fell victim of a run-out.

Saqlain then captured two wickets in his first over and in his next he also dismissed the in-form Nasir Jamshed to bring back the excitement in the match. Thereafter it was Pakistan paceman Sami, who took the first hattrick of the competition the other day, who kindled his team's hopes by taking two wickets in one over.

Chittagong were left to score 18 runs from the last two overs but they could manage only eight.

In the last over Chittagong needed 12 runs but could manage only two from the Sami over.

Saqlain Sajib 3of 22

SCORES IN BRIEF
RAJSHAHI: 126 for 6 in 20 overs (Shahzaib 20, Khalid 14, Mushfiqur 24 not out, Razzaq 19, Sabbir 17, Muktar 16; Sunny 3-13, Cooper 2-17)

CHITTAGONG: 117 for 9 in 20 overs (Jamshed 20, Jahurul 13, Riyad 18, Shamsur 24, Forhad 15 not out ; Sami 2-16, Saqlain 3-22)

Result: Duronto Rajshahi won by nine runs.

Man-of-the-match: Saqlain Sajib.