Chattogram Challengers outplayed Minister Group Dhaka by 30 runs in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Saturday at Dhaka. Chattogram set a target of 162 for Dhaka who failed to chase down it and tumbled to 131 all out in 19.5 overs.  Tamim Iqbal, the ODI captain of Bangladesh and opener of Dhaka, hit a fifty once again in a sluggish manner, but that was not enough for Dhaka to set a good foundation for the chase.  Dhaka lost only one wicket in the first 10 overs, but they failed to keep up with the required rate. Tamim was firm at one end of the wicket, but his teammates came and went.  After Tamim’s dismissal in the 12th over, Dhaka lost four wickets for just 10 runs and they never recovered from that collapse.  Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam bagged four wickets for Chattogram while Nasum Ahmed scalped three conceding only 9 runs in four overs.  Earlier, Mahmudullah Riyad-led Dhaka won the toss and sent the Challengers to bat first. Read: Challengers pose a strong challenge for Dhaka  Despite losing opening partner Kennar Lewis early, the dangerous Will Jacks’24-ball 41 (six 4s and two 6s) helped the Challengers to get a fast start.  Afif Hossain failed to impress once again as he posted 12 off 12 this time. But Sabbir Rahman, who had been out of the limelight for a long time, posted 29 off 17 balls with two big sixes and two fours.  Captain Mehidy posted 25, and Howell scored 37 off 19 balls with three sixes and one four.  For Dhaka, right-arm veteran pacer Rubel Hossain was the best bowler taking three wickets conceding 26 runs in four overs while Arafat Sunny, Isuru Udana, Shuavagata Hom and Mahmudullah took one wicket each.  Dhaka are now bottom of the 6-team table early on. In their maiden appearance, Dhaka failed to defend 183 against Khulna Tigers. Challengers had lost their first match to Fortune Barishal.  Dhaka will take on Fortune Barishal on January 24 in their next match while Chattogram will play against Khulna Tigers on the same day.

Rony Talukdar hit a fluent half century while Andre Russell,  Thisara Perera made vital contributions as the Khulna Tigers beat Minister Group Dhaka in the second match of the opening day of this year's Bangladesh Premier League. The first match of BPL's 8th edition - also named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his centennial - between Chattogram and Barishal was a low-scoring affair, but the second match saw lots of big hitting and a target in excess of 180 runs chased down with an over to spare. Khulna won the toss and sent Dhaka to bat first, who posted a challenging total of 183 runs. In reply, Khulna chased down the target in 19 overs and sealed the match with five wickets in hand. Mushfiqur Rahim-led Khulna failed to have a good start while chasing as they lost Tanzid Hasan Tamim only for two runs. But in the second-wicket stand, Andre Fletcher and Rony Talukdar added 72 runs on the board which has helped the Khulna Tigers to set a good foundation. Fletcher fell for 45, and Rony ended up top-scoring with 61 off 42 balls with seven fours and one six. After the departure of Fletcher and Rony, Mushfiqur and Yasir Ali failed to continue their momentum, but Sri Lankan allrounder Thisara Perera smashed 36 off 18 balls with six fours, and it was his knock that buried Dhaka's chances. Read: BPL 2022: Barishal off to flying start beating Chattogram For Dhaka, Andre Russell and Ebadot Hossain bagged two wickets each. Earlier, Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Shahzad put up a 69-run opening stand that helped Dhaka post a big total. Shahzad was trapped in a run-out while Tamim registered the maiden fifty of BPL 2022. Captain of Dhaka, Mahmudullah Riyad, was also tremendous with the bat. He scored 39 off 20 balls with two fours and three sixes. For Khulna, right-arm pacer Kamrul Islam bagged three wickets conceding 45 runs four overs. In their next match, Khulna will take on Chattogram Challengers on January 24 while Dhaka will play against the Challengers on January 22.