The Bangladesh Premier League has got off to a rollicking start and brought fans immense happiness. While all the matches have been played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka so far, it will move to the cities of Sylhet and Chattogram soon. Bangladesh cricket has thrown up some exciting young talents for the world to see, and the BPL, as always, has not disappointed.
Some players who have performed well in this tournament are already in the reckoning for the senior team. Even more will get there by the time it comes to an end. Some of the senior players who had gone out of contention with the selector’s plans. However, they’ve used this tournament well to show they are still fit and available to represent Bangladesh at the international level.
The main goal for this tournament is to bring players who are ready to play at the international level for the Tigers, and it has done so repeatedly. The Khulna Tigers are ranked at the top of the league table at the time of writing, with four points to their name. They have won both the matches they played so far, which has given them immense confidence to carry this momentum into the tournament.
The Chattogram Challengers are closing in on the Tigers. They are ranked second with the same number of points, but what marks them apart is that they have played three games and won two.
They lost one game in which their net run rate went down quite exponentially. Fortune Barishal and Sylhet Strikers make up the bottom of the table, with the latter yet to get off the mark in the tournament.
Although Barishal won one game and have two points to their name, the Strikers have lost both games they have played so far. The second leg of the BPL moves to Sylhet from January 26, and the Strikers will be keen on making their home fans proud of their exploits. Their immediate goal will be to roll out of the bottom position of the league table.
The other teams in the league – those who have made up the mid-table rankings – will want to ensure they move up toward the top-four position. These teams will go on to play in the semifinals and the ones that matter. The tournament is now inching closer to its business end.
