Local starlets make their mark

The absence of overseas superstars in the ninth edition of Bangladesh Premier League Cricket who usually get all the attention saw the local performers play major roles for their teams and got the chance to take responsibility upon themselves which has proven to be a level up call for the locals.

The final between Comilla Victorians and Sylhet Strikers at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur was the concluding drama of the much criticized nineth edition of BPL. The governing committee was criticized for mismanagement, quality of the pitch, and not having the DRS being the latest inclusion to the list.

Amidst all the criticism, his edition of BPL brought out some potential which Bangladesh had been lacking in the format for a long time. This BPL saw all the top spots held by the locals, be it with the bat or with the ball, an unusual scene which most of the time gets occupied by the foreign players.

Franchise tournaments like BPL was supposed level up the brand of cricket as whole, but the franchises have failed to bring out local talents up until now and focused on casting foreign stars. This time teams like Sylhet, Comilla and Rangpur Riders brought out some quality local talents.

Sylhet Strikers were not thought to be on of the title contenders as they didn’t have big names in the foreign quota, but the side clinched to final depending on the local players. Mashrafe Mortaza’s side won their first five consecutive fixtures to put a statement they were in for a show. Sylhet ended the group stages at the top winning nine matches out of 12 showcasing their prowess.

Sylhet’s opening duo Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto were the key in Sylhet’s long run in the tournament. The duo scored almost a thousand runs between them and ended the tournament both being in the top three run getters. Shanto scored 516 while his opening partner scored 403.

Shanto was named the player of the tournament for his incredible performance. The left hander had been criticized by the fans for lack of consistency, this might be his way of proving the doubters his worth.

Sylhet’s skipper Mashrafe had an amazing record to his name before entering the final this Thursday, he had never lost a final in the tournament, succeeding three out three. under Mashrafe’s captaincy was the most consistent team in the tournament. The former Bangladesh national team skipper himself was also good with the ball as he has bagged 12 wickets with the ball, at a certain point of the tournament, he was even the highest wicket taker.

Sylhet’s Pakistani duo Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir were impactful with the ball as the duo bagged 26 wickets between them, which marks the Strikers’ dominant presence in the list of both top run scorers and top wicket takers.

The Champions, Comilla took time to get going as they had lost their first three matches. But they turned the table since then and gone on to win nine games straight to secure play-offs from the group stages. Comilla opener Liton Kumar Das led the side from the front to secure their fourth BPL title, the highest by any team in the tournament. The wicket keeper batter scored 379 runs.

The one who led the champions’ bowling attack was Tanvir Islam, who proved himself to be noticed as he finished the tournament as the highest wicket taker.

Bangladesh national team skipper Shakib al Hasan was impressive as he’s said to be back in the form. Even though his team failed pass the eliminators, skipper put up a great show. His teammate, Pakistani Iftikhar Ahmed was the anchor for the Fortune Barishal team as he was seen to accelerate the run rate at times to propel the scoresheet.