The eighth season of the Dhaka Premier League (after receiving List A status) will come to an end on Thursday (April 28) with one more round in both the Super League and relegation phase. The winner of the DPL 2022 was determined on April 26. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club won their first-ever Dhaka Premier League trophy after defeating Abahani Limited by four wickets in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla cricket stadium on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity cricket team has been relegated to the Dhaka first division cricket league.
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Crowned Champions
The Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club enjoyed a considerable edge before the Super League commenced. They were four points ahead of Abahani Limited, who were in the second position. All they needed to do was keep up the momentum into the Super League phase. Sheikh Jamal has done just that, winning three of their four games in this phase to win the title for the first time. They have one more encounter against the Legends of Rupganj on Thursday. This game is crucial for the Legends to finish second in the DPL 2022 competition.
Abahani Limited will meet Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club, while Prime Bank Cricket Club will face Gazi Group Cricketers in the last two Super League matches. Prime Bank will strive for a second-place finish, while Abahani Limited will aim for a third-place finish. Gazi Group Cricketers and Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club will compete for fifth and sixth places, respectively in the 2022 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League.
Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity Down
At the end of the group stage, Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity, City Club, and Brothers Union were the bottom three clubs. Brothers Union and City Club had shown some battling spirit to avoid relegation, but the Khelaghar team had been decimated from the start of the campaign. They only won one game in the group phase, and they won the same number of games in the relegation phase. Khelaghar were demoted to the first division league after finishing the Dhaka Premier League 2022 season with only four points.
With six points apiece, Brothers Union and City Club finished ninth and tenth, respectively, at the end of the league phase. Therefore, they enjoyed a substantial edge before the start of the relegation phase. Brothers Union escaped relegation after defeating Khelaghar by 8 wickets on April 21. City Club were defeated by Khelaghar by 85 runs in their first match of this phase, while their match against Brother Union was called off due to inclement weather.
Aftermath
For the first time ever, Bangladesh’s Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club won Bangladesh’s most prestigious club cricket championship. They were by far the best team in the competition and deservedly won the DPL 2022 tournament with a game to spare. On the other hand, Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity struggled all through the tournament and are down to the first division with only two victories this season.
Source: United News of Bangladesh