Rangpur retain National T20 League title
At the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Khulna were sent in to bat first after losing the toss and managed 136 for 8. Chasing 137, Akbar Ali’s Rangpur cruised to victory with eight wickets and three overs to spare.
Rangpur Division have been crowned National T20 League champions once again. After beating Dhaka Metropolis in last season's final, Rangpur defeated Khulna Division in this year's title decider.
At the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Khulna were sent in to bat first after losing the toss and managed 136 for 8. Chasing 137, Akbar Ali's Rangpur cruised to victory with eight wickets and three overs to spare.
Opener Nasir Hossain once again shone in the run chase. After scoring 54 in the second qualifier, he hit 46 off 31 balls in the final. Nasir and Zahid Javed put together a 61-run opening stand off 42 balls, effectively setting up Rangpur's triumph.
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Zahid made 27 off 24 balls, while Nasir was dismissed in the 12th over with the score on 84. The experienced Naeem Islam (40* off 32) and skipper Akbar Ali (19* off 15) saw Rangpur home comfortably. Nasir was named player of the match — his second consecutive such award after the qualifier.
Earlier, Khulna's innings got off to a poor start. Spinner Nasum Ahmed struck with the second ball of the match, dismissing opener Imranuzzaman. Anamul Haque was run out for 12, while experienced opener Soumya Sarkar played a painfully slow knock of 8 from 22 balls before being bowled by Abu Hashim.
Reduced to 69 for 5 in the 13th over, Khulna eventually reached 136, thanks largely to captain Mohammad Mithun's 44 off 32 and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury's 24 off 13. Mithun struck three sixes, taking his season total to 18 — a record for most sixes in a single NCL season for Khulna. However, his record day ended in defeat.
Rangpur, meanwhile, completed a remarkable turnaround. Having reached the eliminator only after beating Dhaka Metropolis in their final league match and edging through on net run rate, Akbar's men went on to win three knockout matches in a row to lift the title.
Rangpur captain Akbar Ali was named player of the tournament, Mahmudul Hasan won the best batter award, and Hasan Murad was named best bowler.
Brief scores
Khulna: 136/8 in 20 overs (Mithun 44, Mrittunjoy 24; Al Mamun 2/15, Nasum 1/17)
Rangpur: 138/2 in 17 overs (Nasir 46, Naeem 40*; Sheikh Parvez 1/12, Afif 1/16)
Result: Rangpur won by 8 wickets
