The Bangladesh Premier League always draws big crowds in Sylhet. The stands were full again on Friday as the 12th BPL began. Hosts Sylhet Titans faced Rajshahi Warriors in the opening match. Sylhet scored 190 for 5. Rajshahi chased the target and won by eight wickets with two balls left.
Najmul Hossain Shanto led the chase with authority. The captain played a stunning innings and scored a century from 58 balls. He stayed till the end and guided his team home. Mushfiqur Rahim supported him well with an unbeaten 51.
Rajshahi started the chase carefully. Openers Shahibzada Farhan and Tanzid Hasan Tamim tried to settle in. The first breakthrough came early. Khaled Ahmed dismissed Tanzid when the score was 19. Shanto then joined Farhan and added some momentum. Together they scored 43 runs from 29 balls.
Farhan fell for 20 with the team score on 62. After that, Shanto and Mushfiqur took charge. Shanto began slowly but soon found his rhythm. He reached his sixth BPL fifty and then increased the tempo. The left hander hit 10 fours and five sixes on his way to his second BPL hundred. He completed the century in the final over after a misfield at long on allowed two runs. His celebration showed his relief and joy.
Mushfiqur matched Shanto shot for shot. The pair added 130 runs in 75 balls for the third wicket. Mushfiqur stayed not out on 51. He hit four fours and two sixes. His celebration after the winning shot also stood out.
Earlier, Sylhet made a lively start with the bat. Saim Ayub attacked from the start and scored 28 from 15 balls. He was dismissed in the fifth over by Binura Fernando. His wicket ended a 38 run opening stand with Rony Talukdar. Sylhet reached 45 for 1 in the powerplay.
After that, Hazratullah Zazai took responsibility. The Afghan batter could not make his start count. He scored 20 from 18 balls and was stumped by Mushfiqur off Sandeep Lamichhane. Sylhet were 68 for 2 after 10 overs.
Rony Talukdar then tried to lift the scoring rate. He played patiently before accelerating. Lamichhane struck again in the 13th over. Rony was bowled by a sharp googly after scoring 41 from 34 balls. His 36 run stand with Parvez Hossain Emon came to an end.
Parvez then took over the innings. He played with freedom and delighted the home crowd. Even outside his usual opening role, his batting remained fearless. He reached his fifty in the 18th over and also crossed 500 BPL career runs. Parvez stayed unbeaten on 65 from 33 balls. He hit five sixes and four fours.
Afif Hossain added quick runs at the end. He scored 33 from 19 balls before being run out in the last over. The 86 run stand between Parvez and Afif pushed Sylhet to 190 for 5. Rajshahi later chased it down to start their campaign with a strong win.
