United News of Bangladesh

The 12th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) concluded on Friday night with  Rajshahi Warriors lifting the trophy in their debut season, securing a massive financial gain along with the silverware. Following their dominant 63-run victory over the Chattogram Royals in the final, the champions were awarded a prize money of BDT 2.75 crore. The runners-up, Chattogram Royals, who overcame preseason ownership turmoil to reach the final, walked away with BDT 1.75 crore. On the individual front, pacer Shoriful Islam was the biggest winner of the night. The Chattogram Royals speedster enjoyed a historic campaign, breaking Taskin Ahmed’s record for the most wickets in a single season with 26 scalps in 12 matches. His stellar economy rate of 5.84 and consistent breakthroughs earned him the Player of the Tournament award—making him the first pacer in BPL history to win this accolade. Shoriful received BDT 10 lakh for being the tournament's best player and an additional BDT 5 lakh for finishing as the highest wicket-taker, bringing his total earnings to BDT 15 lakh. The hero of the final, Tanzid Hasan, was rewarded BDT 5 lakh for his match-winning performance. The Rajshahi opener slammed a century in the title decider, becoming only the third Bangladeshi to do so in a BPL final, joining the elite company of Chris Gayle and Tamim Iqbal. Meanwhile, Sylhet Titans’ Parvez Hossain Emon took home BDT 5 lakh as the tournament’s highest run-scorer. Despite his team missing the final, Parvez amassed 395 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 132.99. Among the other awardees, Rajshahi’s young pacer Ripon Mondol was named the Emerging Player of the Tournament. With 17 wickets in just 8 matches, including a hat-trick and a Super Over victory, Ripon was awarded BDT 3 lakh. Rangpur Riders’ Litton Das, who played solely as a fielder this season after giving up the gloves, was named the Best Fielder for his 10 catches in 11 matches, earning a prize of BDT 3 lakh.

The Rajshahi Warriors have been crowned champions of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), securing a dominant 63-run victory over Chattogram Royals in Friday's final. Powered by a historic century from Tanzid Hasan and a lethal bowling spell from Binura Fernando, Rajshahi defended their total of 174 with ease, bowling out Chattogram for just 111 in 17.5 overs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Chasing a daunting target of 175, the Royals’ batting lineup crumbled under the pressure of the final. Sri Lankan pacer Binura Fernando was the wrecker-in-chief, claiming astonishing figures of 4 for 9 to rip through the opposition. He was ably supported by spinner Hasan Murad, who snapped up 3 for 15 to dismantle the middle order. Mirza Baig offered the only significant resistance with a knock of 39, while Asif Ali was the only other batter to cross the 20-run mark. The lean batting display meant Chattogram never truly threatened the target, handing Rajshahi a comfortable path to the title. Earlier, the foundation for the victory was laid by opener Tanzid Hasan, whose decisive 100 off 62 balls marked only the third century in BPL final history. After being asked to bat by Chattogram captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzid anchored the innings with a blend of caution and aggression. He shared an 83-run opening stand with Sahibzada Farhan (30) and a 47-run partnership with Kane Williamson (24). Despite surviving a scare on 54, Tanzid punished the bowlers with 7 sixes and 6 fours, eventually perishing in the 19th over. His heroics, combined with the subsequent bowling masterclass, ensured the trophy went to Rajshahi in front of a packed house.