Comilla beat Barishal in thrilling final to clinch third BPL trophy

Comilla Victorians lifted the trophy of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2022. They defeated Fortune Barishal by just one run at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on Friday.

What a victory for Comilla. They came back from death to win a humdinger. Barishal were ahead for the most part of the game but the Victorians never gave up. 

Comilla captain Imrul Kayes said, “It's an incredible match, I never expected to win but thanks to the almighty. We started very well but so many mistakes in the middle, after that Moeen and Rony Hider finished well.”

“This type of final you need to be brave and cool, if you are that, you will be successful. Sunil and Faf helped a lot in the field, was a total teamwork. Bowlers have done really well, especially Sunil and Tanvir Islam, both teams though made mistakes with the ball and in the field,” he mentioned.

Comilla posted 151 runs after losing nine wickets. In reply, Shykat Ali's 58 off 34 balls, the match became easier for Barisal. But in the end, Barisal could not win the match due to the great performance of the opponent bowler and stopped at 150/8.

Sunil Narine was named the Player of the Final for his all-round performances. He bowled the game-changing over - the 18th with 2 runs and the wicket of Dwayne Bravo and young Shohidul Islam kept his nerve to defend 9 in the final over. 

Narine said, “I think this (achievement) is the most important. At the start of the tournament, this is where you want to end up. Credit goes to all the boys.”

There is no option to forget Mustafizur's 19th over - he gave Shohidul Islam enough to defend off the final over.

Barishal skipper Shakib Al Hasan said, “Was a very good game of cricket, both teams made mistakes, but in the end, Comilla held their nerves, credit goes to them.”

“We have to come back stronger next year. It was a good tournament for me personally but I would have loved to lift the trophy more than anything else,” he added.

Earlier, Narine started really well for the Victorians in the powerplay. The West Indian all-rounder got his side off to a flier as they were 36/0 after 2 overs. However, Shakib Al Hasan came into the attack and struck in his first over to break the opening partnership.

Narine notched up a quick fifty. He scored 57 off just 23 balls with the help of five boundaries and five over boundaries.

However, Comilla lost wickets in clusters after his dismissal. They were reduced to 95/6 in the 11th over, but Moeen Ali and Abu Hider Rony batted sensibly, kept their cool and had a handy partnership after that hiccup. 

Meanwhile, Shakib bagged another Man of the Tournament award. He produced all-round performance throughout the BPL 2022.

Barishal’s skipper had a slow start to the season, but he came good when it mattered the most, leading his side to the top of the league. He claimed record five back-to-back Man of the Match awards in this event.