Home ›› 13 May 2023 ›› Sport
After almost two months of action, the fate of the ongoing Dhaka Premier League 2023 has come down to one match – the clash between Abahani Limited and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.
Both sides moved into the Super League stage with 20 points from 11 matches and the fixture was made such that the teams would face off in a title battle if they won all their remaining games.
However, that seemed improbable when Sheikh Jamal lost their first match of the Super League stage and Abahani took a two-point lead. But in the penultimate round of the tournament, Abahani lost to Gazi Group Cricketers, ensuring that the last match of the competition ended up becoming a final.
When the two sides met in the league stage earlier, Sheikh Jamal found a four-wicket win and the defending champions will hope for the same result as they take the field today.
Both teams are without a few key players as they are away with the national side in England to play the One-Day International series against Ireland. Sheikh Jamal do not have Towhid Hridoy, Ebadot Hossain, and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, while Abahani are without Najmul Hossain Shanto.
Despite being without three crucial players, Sheikh Jamal skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan refused to be bothered by that and said their only goal was to defend their title.
“When we started the tournament, we wanted to go match-by-match. But we kept this in mind that if we could play as a team and as we are the defending champions, then of course we could target winning the league again. That was our focus. We have played as a team and worked very hard, which played an important role,” Sohan said.
On the other hand, Abahani skipper Mosaddek Hossain is hoping that they can bounce back and defeat Sheikh Jamal.
“Since I have been playing for Abahani, I have seen that we win one and lose one against Sheikh Jamal. So, I can see that as a lucky charm that we lost the match in the league stage. We are playing well as a team, and I have belief in my team,” he said.
Considering a cyclone is coming, rain may ruin the match for the fans, even with the reserve day. If the match is indeed washed out, Sheikh Jamal would defend their title as they are ahead on head-to-head. Although the match is a high-voltage one, Sohan refused to take pressure because of it.
“There is no point in being stressed. Maybe we were not the best side on paper but everybody has ultimately done well. We will follow the process we have been following. Everyone has contributed so far, and that is what we will aim for in the last game,” the Sheikh Jamal skipper said.
For Abahani, the goal was to try their best and find the win.
“I believe our bowling attack is good and they recover well after tough times. Of course, Sheikh Jamal are a good side and they have the ability to beat any team, and they have played well throughout the tournament. We will try to give our 100 per cent on the field,” Mosaddek said.
The match will feature both the highest run-scorer and wicket-taker as Abahani’s Mohammad Naim has scored the most in the league with 864 runs, while Sheikh Jamal’s Parvez Rasool has picked up 31 wickets so far, and both teams will want their star performer to star today.
The match will start at 9 AM at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
