BPL 2019-20: Match 12, Review - Mahmudullah and Lendl Simmons star in the third consecutive win for the Challengers

The BPL 2019-20 game between the Chattogram Challengers and Dhaka Platoon was a high-scoring one. A lot of runs were scored in this encounter. But it was the Challengers’ batsmen who managed to outdo the opposition with their brilliant efforts. The likes of Mahmudullah and Lendl Simmons starred in this victory with their quickfire half-centuries. The other batsmen also made some valuable contributions while the bowlers did a fine job to defend this big total.

Chattogram Challengers got off to a great start after they were asked to bat first. Avishka Fernando raced his way to 26 off 13 balls before he was dismissed. Then, there was a good partnership between Lendl Simmons and Imrul Kayes. The former was the first to get out and he mustered 57 runs off 36 balls. Kayes also played a good knock and got to 40 runs at a strike rate of 167. Towards the end, skipper Mahmudullah provided his team with the final impetus.

He played some brilliant shots during his knock and smashed five fours and four sixes. Even though he scored 59 off 28 balls, he couldn’t maximise the damage as he got out on the last ball of the 18th over. Yet, the Chattogram Challengers managed to get to a mammoth 221/4 in 20 overs courtesy an 18-ball 27 from Chadwick Walton.

A tough ask for the Dhaka Platoon in the chase

Chasing a score like 222 is never easy and teams often lose wickets at regular intervals in an attempt to go hard. The same happened with the Dhaka Platoon as well. Mominul Haque took the team off to a good start and scored 52 off 35 balls. However, the other batsmen failed to contribute and most of them lost their wickets after they got off to starts. There was a stage when it seemed tough for the Platoon to get anywhere close.

However, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza added life to the chase by scoring 22 runs off 4 balls in the 16th over. But he got out on the fifth ball of the same over. Thisara Perera (47 off 27 balls) did try hard without much support from the other end. Yet, he couldn’t take his team home. The Challengers won the match by 16 runs.

Brief Scores

Chattogram Challengers: 221/4 after 20 overs (L Simmons 57, Mahmudullah 59; H Mahmud 2/55)

Dhaka Platoon: 205/10 after 20 overs (M Haque 52, T Perera 47; M Rana 3/22)

Chattogram Challengers won by 16 runs