BPL 4, Final, Review: Dhaka Dynamites crowned BPL Champions after crushing win over Rajshahi Kings

The stage was set for the all-important match of the 4th season of the Bangladesh Premier League. It was the big final between Dhaka Dynamites and Rajshahi Kings. After 45 closely contested games, it all came down to the one important match of all. Both sides looked in red-hot form with thumping victories en route the finale. The Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka was certainly seen backing the Dhaka Dynamites.

The Dhaka franchise had the distinction of winning the title twice before under the banner Dhaka Gladiators. The Rajshahi Kings were the clear underdogs. Their skipper Darren Sammy was unfazed about it. After all, Sammy has had the experience of leading the underdogs to title wins.

Cominintoto the match, Rajshahi Kings won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bowl first. They stuck to the same side that had won them the Qualifier 2. The Dhaka Dynamites, under Shakib Al Hasan, also chose not to tinker with their playing combination. In walked Evin Lewis an Mehedi Maruf to open the innings for Dhaka Dynamites. Kesrick Williams, the in-form bowler, shared the new ball with Farhad Reza. Two lacy boundaries from Maruf set the tone for Dynamites.

However, it was Mehedi Hasan, who was quick to cease Maruf’s aggression in the fourth over. Maruf departed after scoring 12 off 10 balls to bring Nasir Hossain at the crease. Hossain was stumped by Nurul Hasan off the bowling of Afif Hossain in the very next over on 5. Darren Sammy then quickly got rid of Mosaddek Hossain Saikat on 5 right after the powerplay. Finally, the big veteran Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara arrived at the crease. At 46/3, the Dynamites needed a calm head to operate. Sangakkara was just about perfect for it.

Meanwhile, Evin Lewis continued to play his occasional shots to keep the pressure at bay. Both batsmen added 41 runs in 25 balls for the 4th wicket to set up a base for the Dynamites. The partnership was eventually broken when Lewis was dismissed on 31-ball 45 by Farhad Reza in the 11th over. Dwayne Bravo made an early exit on 13 after being involved in a run out. Samit Patel made short work of Andre Russell to send him packing in 8.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan came in at number 8 and became Reza’s second wicket of the match. As wickets kept falling, the Sri Lankan paraded along from the other end. Sangakkara was caught and bowled by Reza on the penultimate delivery of the innings on 33-ball 36. However, Sanga’s effort helped Dhaka Dynamites post 159/9 on the board. Reza was the pick of the bowlers with 3/28 to his name.

Nurul Hasan and Mominul Haque walked in to open the innings for Rajshahi Kings. Both openers had a mild season thus far. The mildness continued for Nurul as he was dismissed by Abu Jayed in the 3rd over after scoring just 5. Sabbir Rahman was the new man in. Mominul and Sabbir guided Rajshahi to safety with 40 on the board in the powerplay. Together they put on 47 runs for the second wicket albeit a slow one.

Rahman had to make the long walk back owing to a run out by Mehedi Maruf in the 10th over. Rahman scored 26 off 22 balls with 2 fours. The very next over saw the other set batsman Mominul trapped lbw on 30-ball 27 by Shakib Al Hasan. Big hitters James Franklin and Samit Patel were dismissed cheaply. Sunzamul Islam was the beneficiary on both occasions.

The game went totally away from Rajshahi Kings when their skipper Darren Sammy was outclassed by his skipper counterpart Shakib Al Hasan. Sammy could score just 6 before being dismissed by Shakib. Wickets fell like ten pins as Kings reeled on 98/8 by mid-seventeenth over.

It was only formality from there on. Kesrick Williams walked back retired hurt on 4 and Nazmul Islam lasted just 5 deliveries. That ended the run chase for Rajshahi with 103/9 in 17.4 overs. With just 3 batsmen getting in the double digits, you don’t expect yourself to win a big final such as this. The Dynamites beat the Rajshahi Kings by 56 runs. Dhaka Dynamites were crowned the champions of the 4th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 4).

Brief Scores:

Dhaka Dynamites: 159/9 in 20 overs (Lewis 45, Sangakkara 36, Reza 3/28, Patel 1/8)

Rajshahi Kings: 103/9 in 17.4 overs (Mominul 27, Sabbir 26, Jayed 2/12, Sunzamul 2/17)