Fortune Barishal, the defending champions, defeated Durbar Rajshahi by four wickets in the opening match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Monday.
Mahmudullah Riyad and Faheem Ashraf's 88-run seventh-wicket partnership was instrumental in securing the win.
To chase a challenging target of 198, Barishal lost their opener Najmul Hossain Shanto in the very first ball of their innings. He was trapped lbw by Jishan Alam.
Within the powerplay, they lost two more wickets and were reduced to 30 for three wickets.
Towhid Hridoy posted 32 off 23 balls in his bid to control the early damage. But Kyle Mayers (5), and Mushfiqur Rahim (13) fell quickly to put Barishal into further trouble.
Even before half of the overs were bowled, Barishal lost half of their wickets. In the 13th over, they lost their 6th wicket.
Mahmudullah and Ashrafe stood strong at this point of the match and formed a strong match-winnings partnership.
They chased down the target with four wickets in hand with 11 balls to play.
Earlier, riding on Yasir Ali’s unbeaten 94 off 47 balls, and 65 off 51 balls by Anamul Haque, Rajshahi posted 197 for three.
Rajshahi, who were put to bat first after losing the toss, lost their first wicket in the second over of the innings as Jishan Alam was sent back by Kyle Mayers for a duck. With 25 runs on the board, Rajshahi lost their second wicket.
When Barishal was trying to get control of the match, Anamul and Yasir formed a 140-run stand in the third-wicket partnership.
Before falling in the 18th over, Anamul posted 65 off 51 balls with four fours and five sixes.
However, Yasir was firm on the other end of the wicket. He remained unbeaten at 94, smashing seven fours and eight sixes.
Mayers took two wickets for Rajshahi, who made a comeback to BPL after missing out on the event for years.
Meanwhile, fans clashed in front of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday for tickets. They broke a gate of the stadium. Police had to use batons to disperse the crowd.
Source: UNB
bd-pratidin/Rafid
