Shanto steals the spotlight on BPL opening day

A fluent unbeaten century from Shanto, backed by a composed half-century from Mushfiqur Rahim, powered Rajshahi Warriors to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Sylhet Titans at the Sylhet International Stadium on Friday.

Chasing a challenging target of 191, Rajshahi were jolted early, slipping to 43 for 2. Shanto then took control of the chase, combining assurance with aggression to steady the innings and gradually tilt the contest in his team's favour. He found an ideal partner in Mushfiqur, and the pair put together an unbroken 130-run stand off 71 balls to take Rajshahi home with two balls to spare.

Shanto brought up his third T20 century in style, reaching the milestone off 58 balls. He remained unbeaten on 101 from 60 deliveries, striking 10 fours and five sixes. Mushfiqur, who had gone unsold in the first call of the auction, played a vital supporting role, scoring an unbeaten 51 from 31 balls and hitting the winning boundary.

Earlier, Sylhet Titans had posted a competitive 190 for 5 after being sent in to bat. Parvez Hossain anchored the innings with an impressive unbeaten 65 from 33 balls, hitting four fours and five sixes. His knock, built on the platform of a 36-run opening stand off 25 balls, kept Sylhet on course for a big total. Useful contributions from Rony Talukdar (41), Afif Hossain (33) and Saim Ayub (28) added momentum in the middle overs.

For Rajshahi, Sandeep Lamichhane was the most successful bowler with figures of 2 for 28, while Binura Fernando chipped in with one wicket.

Despite Parvez's late flourish, Sylhet's bowlers were unable to contain Shanto and Mushfiqur during the chase. A brief fumble near the boundary late in the innings allowed Rajshahi to seal victory, with Shanto celebrating his hundred moments later as the result was all but confirmed.

The win gave Rajshahi Warriors a strong start, with Shanto's match-winning century earning him the player-of-the-match award.