Fortune Barishal retain Bangladesh Premier League title with thrilling chase
What's the story
Fortune Barishal have successfully defended their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title in a thrilling finale.
The team completed the second-highest chase in a men's T20 final, scoring 195 against Chittagong Kings.
The victory was sealed with three wickets and three balls remaining, marking an exciting end to the season.
Tamim Iqbal, Kyle Mayers, and Rishad Hossain played an instrumental role in this historic win.
Match highlights
Iqbal's rapid 54 sets pace for Barishal's victory
The final match took place at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, where a packed crowd saw Barishal's captain Tamim Iqbal score a quick 29-ball 54. His fifty was laced with nine fours and a six.
This set the pace for the team's successful chase.
Kyle Mayers kept the momentum going during the middle overs. He ended up with 46 runs from 28 balls.
Rishad Hossain sealed the win with two sixes in the last two overs (18*).
Team performance
Barishal's consistent performance leads to BPL title defense
Barishal have been a consistent performer throughout the tournament, winning 11 out of their 14 games.
Their heavy investments over the last two seasons were evident in their deep squad and ability to keep their composure in tense moments.
In the league stage, they collected 18 points from 9 matches (W9 L3).
In the playoff, they overcame the Kings by 9 wickets and trounced them again in the final.
Opposition performance
Chittagong Kings scored 194/3 in their 20 overs
Despite Chittagong Kings's strong start with an opening stand of 121 runs from Parvez Hossain Emon (66) and Khawaja Nafay (78*), Barishal kept them from batting out the opposition.
Despite Graham Clark's quick 44 off 23 balls and all of Chittagong's top three batsmen striking at a rate of over 150, Barishal managed to keep them from batting out the opposition.
Kings scored 194/3 in their 20 overs.