As the new season of the Bangladesh Premier League approaches, cricket lovers are expecting some dazzling batting performances from local and international cricketers. After a one-year break, the eighth season of the BPL will kick off on January 21, with six teams competing. Some of the noteworthy individual innings of the tournament thus far are discussed in this article in order to revive the fans’ memories of the Bangladesh Premier League. Let’s look at the top five iconic individual knocks in BPL history.
Bangladesh Premier League’s Five Unforgettable Individual Innings
There were many game-changing individual performances in the past seven seasons of the Bangladesh Premier League, but picking the best is always tough. Here are the top five most unforgettable individual performances in the Bangladesh Premier League thus far.
AB de Villiers (100* off 50 against Dhaka Dynamites)
League Match: Dhaka Dynamites vs Rangpur Riders | Venue: Chattogram (January 28, 2019)
Mr. 360 AB de Villiers only played one season in the BPL with Rangpur Riders. He was their mercury signing in the sixth season of the Bangladesh Premier League. De Villiers only played in a few league games but astonished the fans with his incredible batting display. AB de Villiers produced one of the most spellbinding knocks in BPL history against a powerful Dhaka Dynamites team in Chattogram. Chasing a mammoth 187-run target, AB de Villiers came into bat in the second over after the departures of Chris Gayle and Rilee Rossouw. De Villiers got off to a strong start in his innings, playing some incredible strokes all over the ground. Rangpur won with 10 balls to spare thanks to an undefeated 184* partnership between Villiers and Hales. He scored 100* off 50 balls. Villiers smashed six big sixes and eight boundaries in his magnificent knock, making it one of the most eye-catching performances in BPL history.
Chris Gayle (126* off 51 against Khulna Titans)
Eliminator: Rangpur Riders vs Khulna Titans | Venue: Dhaka (December 8, 2017)
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle was in top form in the fifth season of BPL. Gayle delivered some spectacular knocks for Rangpur Riders throughout the season. He was the driving force behind Rangpur’s first BPL triumph in 2017. Gayle produced one of the best BPL innings in the eliminator match against Khulna. Khulna scored 167/6 in 20 overs after batting first. Rangpur Riders won in 15.2 overs thanks to an unbroken 146*-run third-wicket partnership between Gayle and Mithun. Mithun played a pivotal part in the innings, but Gayle was merciless towards the opposition bowlers. He hit 18 massive sixes in his 126* off 51 runs knock. The whole stadium chanted his name during the game.
Ahmed Shehzad (113* off 49 against Duronto Rajshahi)
1st Semi-Final: Barisal Burners vs Duronto Rajshahi | Venue: Dhaka (February 28, 2012)
Ahmed Shehzad played one of the best T20 innings of his career against Duronto Rajshahi in the first semifinal of the BPL’s first season. Barisal Burners earned a spot in the championship match against Dhaka thanks to his stunning century. Duronto Rajshahi scored 184/6 in their allotted 20 overs when they batted first. Opener Ahmed Shehzad formed two key partnerships in the middle to chase down the target. He scored 103 runs with Brad Hodge in the first wicket stand, then 74 runs with Phil Mustard in the second wicket partnership. Barisal won the match with four overs to spare. Shehzad stayed undefeated with 113* off 49 balls, and it was one of the finest BPL innings ever.
Tamim Iqbal (141* off 61 against Dhaka Dynamites)
Final: Dhaka Dynamites vs Comilla Victorians | Venue: Dhaka (February 8, 2019)
The opening batter of Comilla Victorians Tamim Iqbal underperformed throughout the sixth season of the Bangladesh Premier League before the all-important final match against Dhaka Dynamites. Probably, he reserved his finest performance for the last match. Comilla struck a huge 199/3 in their stipulated 20 overs thanks to his record-breaking 141* from 61 balls knock. In response, the Dhaka Dynamites scored 182/9 in 20 overs. Comilla went on to win the BPL for the second time. However, it was Tamim Iqbal’s sensational innings that stole the show. Tamim hit 11 sixes and 10 boundaries in his memorable innings. Many cricket pundits consider it to be the best-ever BPL knock to date.
Chris Gayle (146* off 69 against Dhaka Dynamites)
Final: Dhaka Dynamites vs Rangpur Riders | Venue: Dhaka (December 12, 2017)
Chris Gayle was the main fear factor for Dhaka Dynamites in the championship match after some dazzling performances in the league stage and elimination rounds, and he made the difference in the final. Rangpur Riders made a massive 206/1 in the final after batting first, due to a record-breaking 201-run partnership between Gayle and McCullum for the second wicket. McCullum played the anchor role, but Chris Gayle was unstoppable. He struck an undefeated 146* off 69 balls, including 18 sixes. It was an innings of perfection from arguably the greatest T20 batter of all time. Dhaka Dynamites scored 149/9 in 20 overs and lost by 57 runs in the final. Rangpur Riders won their first-ever BPL title thanks to Gayle’s incredible performance. That knock by Chris Gayle is perhaps one of the most entertaining and memorable in BPL history.
Way Forward
Cricket fans had witnessed some incredible individual innings in the previous seven seasons of the Bangladesh Premier League. The above-mentioned Individual batting efforts are among the top five most memorable innings in BPL history. Those innings are not just among the finest in the BPL’s history, but also among the best in franchise-based T20 cricket tournaments around the world. T20 cricket lovers will expect even better batting performances than those highlighted above next season.
Source: United News of Bangladesh