The Sylhet leg of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) commenced as Khulna Tigers triumphed over Rangpur Riders by 28 runs on Friday. Mohammad Nawaz's stellar fifty and Dasun Shanaka's four-wicket haul were instrumental in securing the victory for the Tigers. Malik’s three no-ball controversy: Barishal denies rumors of contract termination The Sylhet International Stadium witnessed an almost-packed crowd, with Shakib Al Hasan returning to the field despite earlier concerns about his eye condition. Facing an early setback with the departure of Captain Anamul Haque for a duck, Khulna Tigers recovered with crucial contributions from Evin Lewis (37) and Mohammad Nawaz (55). Dasun Shanaka's brisk 40, combined with Nawaz's explosive innings, propelled the Tigers to a competitive total. ICC U-19 World Cup: Bangladesh to play US on Friday In response, Rangpur Riders struggled against a disciplined Khulna bowling attack. Despite Mohammad Nabi's resilient fifty (50), the Riders fell short of the target. Dasun Shanaka's impactful all-round performance, particularly his four crucial wickets, earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match award. The Khulna Tigers now make a strong statement in BPL 2024 with their convincing 28-run victory over the Rangpur Riders. Australian pacer becomes best cricketer of 2023 In the second match of the day, Sylhet Strikers will take on Comilla Victorians. After a 10-match leg, the BPL will return to Dhaka.

The Sylhet phase of the ongoing 10th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to commence on Friday with a match between Khulna Tigers and Rangpur Riders. The BPL had a two-day break after the first phase in Dhaka. Shakib Al Hasan diagnosed with retinal condition in left eye A total of 10 matches will be played in Sylhet until February 3. Following this, the BPL action will return to Dhaka before heading to the port city of Chattogram. The final stage of the BPL is scheduled to take place in Dhaka. Currently, Khulna Tigers lead the points table with two wins in two matches, securing four points. Chattogram Challengers have also amassed four points with two wins in three matches. BPL 2024: Comilla Victorians secure maiden win as Barishal fails to defend 13 in last Over Sylhet Strikers are the sole team yet to earn a point, having lost both matches played thus far. Mushfiqur Rahim of Fortune Barishal leads the list of batters with the most runs in this year's BPL, amassing 156 runs in three matches. Imrul Kayes and Afghanistan’s Najibullah Zadran closely follow with 118 and 117 runs, respectively. BPL 2024: Babar, Omarzai Propel Riders to Victory in Low-Scoring Affair vs Strikers Among the local pacers, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, and Khaled Ahmed share the top place of leading wicket-taker in the BPL so far, each having five wickets.

Bangladesh cricket star Shakib Al Hasan, currently representing Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), is scheduled to fly to Singapore on Sunday for a medical consultation concerning his persisting eye problems. Ahead of the BPL commencement on Friday, Shakib returned from the UK after seeking medical advice for his eyes. However, it appears that the cricketer continues to grapple with discomfort in his eyes. BPL 2024: Fortune Barishal triumphs over Rangpur Riders Jalal Yunus, the Cricket Operations Chairman of BCB, confirmed that Shakib is going to Singapore to see a doctor.  “Yes, he is traveling to Singapore tomorrow,” he said on Saturday. “Whether he can continue playing in the BPL depends on the doctors' recommendations. He will have to follow their advice. BPL will miss Shakib.” BPL 2024: Dhaka Make Flying Start, Beating Defending Champions Shakib has been contending with eye issues since the late last year's World Cup in India. In media interviews, he expressed the difficulty he faced in performing due to eye-related problems. Despite this, Shakib played for the Riders on Saturday and took two wickets against Fortune Barisal. Shoriful Shines in BPL Opener with a Hat-trick “Our team highly values Shakib,” remarked Nurul Hasan Shohan, Shakib's captain in the BPL, during a press conference on Saturday. “I believe he has been struggling with his eyes for the last few days. The doctors will determine his condition.”

Sylhet Strikers provided their fans with the ultimate Bashonti present by advancing to the final of this year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with a 19-run victory over Rangpur Riders on Tuesday in Mirpur. The Strikers, led by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, will now face the Comilla Victorians in the final on February 16th. It will be the first time a Sylhet franchise will compete in the BPL final. Rangpur needed 28 runs in the last over to chase down the target of 183. Rubel Hossain conceded two fours off the first two balls, but he made a comeback off the last three balls and ensured a win for the Strikers. Before failing to score 28 runs in the last over, the Riders were going well. In the fourth-wicket partnership, Nurul Hasan Shohan and Rony kept the scorecard afloat. They scored 82 off 52 balls. The partnership was broken after a drama unfolded when Mushfiqur Rahim returned to the field. The wicketkeeper-batsman was absent from the field at the start of the second innings. In his absence, Akbar Ali, a substitute fielder, kept wicket for the Strikers. However, when Mushfiqur returned to the field before the 17th over, the playing conditions required him to resume his role as the designated wicketkeeper of the Strikers. For unknown reasons, Mushfiqur was unable to take on this responsibility. In this scenario, the Strikers had two options: either to give the gloves to Mushfiqur and replace Akbar or to choose someone from the playing XI to take on the role. The Strikers decided to entrust Zakir Hasan with the gloves. This drama caused a pause in the match that lasted several minutes. In the meantime, Nurul and Rony lost momentum. Off the first ball of the 17th over, Sakib dismissed Nurul. In the same over, Rony was trapped run-out by Zakir. And the Riders never got the momentum back. Dasun Shanaka and Mahedi Hasan, two batters who had the onus on them to get going for the Riders, failed, and eventually, the Riders tumbled for 163 for eight in 20 overs. Luke Wood scalped three wickets for the Strikers, while Rubel and Sakib took two wickets each. Read more: BPL 2023: Rangpur book last playoff spot beating Dhaka Earlier, the Riders won the toss and sent the Strikers to bat first. The in-form Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto ensured a blistering first-wicket stand, scoring 65 off nine overs. After Hridoy was sent back by Hasan Mahmud, Mashrafe surprised many by putting himself to bat at number three. He also displayed some old batting glimpses, scoring 28 off just 16 balls at an average of 175. Thisara Perera and George Linde also contributed well, scoring 21 each. Hasan Mahmud and Dasun Shanaka took two wickets each. But their efforts were not enough to restrict the Strikers to a lower total.  

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has announced a lower ticket price for the 2nd qualifier, which will be played on February 14 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Sylhet Strikers will take on the Rangpur Riders in the 2nd qualifier, and it will determine which team will challenge the Comilla Victorians in the grand finale on February 16. The tickets for this match are now discounted, as compared to the first qualifier. Fans can buy their tickets at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium and the ticket booth adjacent to Gate 1 of Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Read More: BPL 2023: Dhaka end with another defeat The tickets are priced from Tk 100 to Tk 1,000, depending on the stand the fans choose. The grandstand is the most expensive option, and it offers the best view of the game. The eastern stand is the cheapest option but still provides a decent view. The VIP stand, the clubhouse, and the north/south stand are also available at different ticket prices. The ticket counters will remain open from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm. Each fan can buy up to four tickets. On their way to the 2nd qualifier, the Sylhet Strikers lost the first qualifier to the Comilla Victorians, while the Rangpur Riders won the eliminator against the Fortune Barishal. The second qualifier match will start at 2:00 pm on February 14. Read more: BPL 2023: Khulna sign off on high note

Rangpur Riders beat Sylhet Strikers by eight wickets on Saturday in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in Mirpur. With the win, the Riders kept their chances of topping the table in the league phase alive. Put in to bat first, the Strikers scored 170-2 in 20 overs. Towhid Hridoy scored 85 runs off 57 balls with 13 boundaries and 2 sixes. Najmul Hossain Shanto's innings was cut short by Hasan Mahmud, as he was dismissed after scoring 15 runs off 22 balls. Next, Zakir Hasan was caught by Aaron Jones off Mahedi Hasan after scoring 7 runs from as many balls. The Strikers' stand-in captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, held the innings together and remained unbeaten on 55 runs off 35 balls with five fours and three sixes. Mahedi Hasan and Hasan Mahmud took one wicket each for the Riders. The Riders had a strong start to their run chase. Rony Talukdar scored 66 runs off 35 balls with eight fours and three sixes. Mohammad Naim scored 45 runs off 32 balls with six fours. Shoaib Malik also played a crucial role in the Riders' victory, scoring an unbeaten 41 runs off 24 balls. His innings included four fours and one six. The Riders reached their target of 171 runs in 18 overs with the loss of two wickets. Read more: BPL 2023: Victorians Continue Winning Streak with a 6-Wicket Win Over Challengers

The Rangpur Riders secured their third win of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023, with a 55-run victory over the Chattogram Challengers on Monday in Dhaka. BPL has made its return to Dhaka after a long stint in Chattogram. During this phase in Dhaka, a total of four matches will be played before the league moves on to Sylhet. The Challengers won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Riders posted a challenging total of 179/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Opener Mohammad Naim got off to a steady start, scoring 34 runs off 29 balls, but the real star of the innings was middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik, who smashed an unbeaten 75 off 45 balls, including five fours and five sixes. Azmatullah Omarzai also contributed with a quick-fire 42 off 24 deliveries. For the Challengers, Mehedi Hasan Rana picked up three wickets conceding 39 runs while Shuvagata Hom took two wickets. The Challengers got off to a poor start in response, losing opener Usman Khan for 4 in the first over. Khawaja Nafay and Tawfique Khan also fell cheaply, leaving the Challengers in a precarious position at 21/3 in the third over. Read more: BPL 2023: Who Can Win the 9th Bangladesh Premier League However, a valiant 52-run knock by skipper Shuvagata and a quick-fire 24 runs from Ziaur Rahman kept the Challengers in the hunt, but in the end, it wasn't enough as they fell short by 55 run, scoring 124 losing all wickets in 16.34 overs. Haris Rauf was the pick of the bowlers for the Riders, taking 3 wickets for 17 runs in his 4 overs, while Rakibul Hasan scalped two wickets. Despite bowling a couple of overs while his team was fielding, Afif Hossain was unable to bat for the Challengers. A Challengers source has claimed that he fell ill during the break in between innings. Riders now have 3 wins and 3 losses from their six games played, while Challengers have just 2 wins to go with 5 defeats after seven games played. Read more: BPL 2023: Ticket prices for first phase revealed

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) continues to generate discouraging headlines, with Shakib Al Hasan taking the lead in typical fashion. Most recently, Shakib violated regulations by entering the playing field during the contest between his team Fortune Barishal and Rangpur Riders, on Tuesday. The BPL authority took a stern action this time, imposing a fine of 15% of their match fees on the players who were found to have breached the Code of Conduct. Due to Shakib's transgression, the match was briefly halted while the on-field umpires spent some time attempting to persuade Shakib to return to the dugout. The incident took place ahead of Barishal’s innings in reply to Rangpur’s first innings. Barishal’s opener Chaturanga de Silva, a left-handed batter, took the strike to open the batting for Rangpur as Rakibul Hasan, the left-arm spinner, was about to bowl. But seeing Chaturanga taking the strike, Nurul Hasan, the Rangpur captain, changed the bowler bringing Mahidy Hasan, a right-handed spinner, assuming that a right-spinner could do well against a right-handed batter. Read more: “If I were CEO of BPL, it’d take me 1 or 2 months to make necessary changes”: Shakib But the Barishal openers, Chaturanga and Anamul Haque, decided to change their end, prompting Nurul to change the bowler again. And at this stage, Shakib entered the field and went to the umpires to clarify his point. It was a clear violation of role— a batting team player cannot just enter the field whenever he wants without the approval of the umpires. At the conclusion of the match day, the BCB issued a punishment to Shakib and the other players involved in the incident. A BCB release said: “Shakib and Nurul were both found in breach of Article 2.4 of the BCB Code of Conduct for Players, which refers to disobeying an umpire’s instruction during a match.” It also read that: “Anamul, meanwhile, was penalized for a breach of Article 2.8 of the BCB Code of Conduct for Players for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision.” BCB confirmed that in addition to the fines, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of each player. Read more: BCB has no answers to Shakib's truth bombs on BPL It was just one instance of the many unfortunate incidents that occurred during the ongoing season of BPL, involving the country's best cricketer, Shakib.