Mayers, Tamim guide Barishal to maiden BPL title

Fortune Barishal batter Kyle Mayers and Tamim Iqbal played blistering knocks to guide their side to a comfortable six-wicket win over defending champions Comilla Victorians in the final of the Bangladesh Premier League in Mirpur on Friday.  

Barishal, who lost the 2022 final against the same opposition, brushed away their sorrows and delivered a comprehensive effort with bat and ball to clinch their maiden BPL title and at the same tarnished a perfect record in finals for Comilla, who won the title for a record four times.

Chasing a modest total of 155, Barishal skipper Tamim got off the block briskly and made little fuss of the target as he smashed three sixes and as many fours for a 26-ball 39-run knock, which took his tally to 492 runs – the highest – in the tournament. The left-handed opener put on a 76-run stand with Mehedi Hasan Miraz (29 off 26 balls) before being castled by off-spinner Moeen Ali in the eighth over. Miraz perished soon when he too looked to take the attack to Moeen. 

Mayers took the onus on himself after that as he played a few delectable shots to have the game well within Barishal's grasp. With five fours and two sixes, Mayers led the chase with a 30-ball 46 while building a 59-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim before falling to a mishit in the 17th over.

Mushfiqur's sluggish stay at the crease in order to close out the game ended after an 18-ball 13 but David Miller (7) and Mahmudullah Riyad (8) made sure to keep any potential hiccups at bay to steer their side to a maiden BPL title.

Earlier, Comilla Victorians all-rounder Andre Russell smacked four sixes in a blistering 14–ball 27–run blitz to propel his side to 154 for six after they were put into bat first.

Russell rescued Comilla following a calamitous start that saw the defending champions slump to five down for 79 in the 12th over. 

Comilla were struggling at 106 for five after 16 overs after which the introduction of dangerman Russel ensured Comilla had a decent total to defend. 

Russel took in-form pacer James Fuller for 21 ruins in the 19th over as he hit three maximums which did the damage. But Barishal's Saifuddin got his yorkers right in the final over, giving away just seven runs, to restrict the Caribbean. 

After the dismissal of Comilla opener Sunil Narine in the first over at the hands of Kyle Mayers, Barishal's Fuller bowled smartly to get rid of in-form Liton Das (16 off 12 balls) and Towhid Hridoy (15 off 10 balls).  All batters barring Russel struggled. Mahidul Islam Ankon managed a sluggish 35-ball 38 where he hit two sixes and as many fours, while Jaker Ali failed to connect well throughout his 23-ball 20-run knock.