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Despite gaining promotion in the 2018-19 season, Bangladesh Police have managed to avoid relegation and have seen only improvements, finishing 9th in the 2020-21 season and is en route to a top-half finish this time.
Mohammedan Sporting Club have made a gradual rise in the Bangladesh Premier League, managing improvements in finishing places in each of their last three seasons, while Sheikh Russel KC have had to see the other side of the coin since winning the league in 2015.
Abahani Ltd and Saif Sporting Club have been consistent at the top, with Sheikh Jamal often making inroads in the top half.
Sheikh Russel KC won the league in 2012-13, but have failed to replicate their successful season in the years followed, finishing 3rd in the 2018-19 season but placing 7th in the next.
This is a testament to the fact that the league is getting more competitive every year.
In the last decade, BPL has seen four teams crowned as champions, with Abahani winning it thrice, Sheikh Jamal winning it twice, Sheikh Russel with a solitary win, and Kings with three straight league titles.
A dominant Bashundhara Kings clinched their hattrick of Bangladesh Premier League titles on Monday, with two matches remaining in the season.
Their Spanish manager Oscar Bruzon equalled former Abahani head coach Amalesh Sen’s record of three league titles.
Bruzon admitted that this season was the toughest one yet, but revealed it was the sweetest amongst his three BPL triumphs.
“No doubt this BPL title has been the toughest one, and sweetest, due to the tremendous adversities we faced all along the season,” he told The Business Post in an interview.
Kings skipper Robson Robinho said that despite winning the league with two matches remaining, it was much more competitive this time around, and winning the title became tougher.
“A lot of the teams played well this season. The smaller teams held off the bigger ones. Sheikh Jamal, Mohammedan, Saif Sporting, and Chattogram Abahani can beat any team. Without any doubt, the league got tougher this season,” he said on Monday.
Abahani, who have secured second place this time, are BPL’s most successful team with six titles.
The Sky Blues, who last won the league in the 2017-18 season, have been in the top three for the last three seasons but have failed to dismantle Kings in the last three years.
Their arch-rivals Mohammedan, on the other hand, haven’t been able to replicate ultimate success as they have failed to win the league (BPL) since its inception in 2007. However, in the last three years, the Black and Whites have had two top-half finishes.
Saif Sporting Club, who entered the top-flight in the 2017-18 season, have shown great promise, managing two top-four finishes in the last three years. The club restructured their management and captaincy at the beginning of the ongoing season but seems to be showcasing stability, with consistent performances throughout the year.
Sheikh Jamal DC have won the league on three occasions, with the latest win coming in 2015. They made a title push in the 2020-21 season but failed to pull it off in the end.
Chattogram Abahani have remained consistent as a mid-table team but will feel they have underperformed despite having the league’s most prolific striker this season. Their Nigerian striker Peter Ebimobowei has found the net 18 times, but his team at best is hoping for a top-half finish this season.
Rahmatganj MFS and Muktijoddha Sangsad KC have been battling relegation in the last three seasons but have managed to avoid it in the ongoing season.
Uttar Baridhara, who managed to avoid relegation since being promoted to the BPL in the 2018-19 season, are set to play in the Bangladesh Championship League next season as they have accumulated only 14 points from 20 games.
Despite beginning their campaign with a bang by beating defending champions Bashundhara Kings, Swadhinata KS have only seen the bottom of the barrel since then, winning only one match after that upset. They were relegation favourites throughout and were the first team to be relegated this season. Their short stint at the top-flight comes to end following their promotion in the 2020-21 season.
