Upbeat Abahani eying second straight DPL title

Defending champions Abahani Limited are determined to keep up its winning spree when it starts it Dhaka Premier League (DPL) Super League mission with the match against Prime Bank Cricket Club at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium tomorrow (Monday). The Dhanmondi outfit had already made a huge stride toward their second straight DPL title when they won 11 straight matches in the first phase of the league. It meant they kept them unbeaten throughout the first phase, which itself a record since the league got the List A status in 2013-2014 season. Even no team could prolong their winning streak to such extent before the league achieved List A status. One of the most popular teams in the country, Abahani however would start the Super League mission with six points clear from their nearest rivals. While Abahani won all of the 11 matches in the first phase, their old foes Mohammedan Sporting Club, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Shinepukur Cricket Club won eight matches out of 11. It gave Abahani the cush ion to afford to have relaxed in the Super League as they needed only three wins out of five to confirm their title. Since the league gets List A status, the DPL was held eight times (two seasons of the league was cancelled due to Covid-19) and Abahani won four titles. Last time before Covid-19 affected the league, they were on the brink of a hat-trick title but Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club denied them by winning the coveted trophy in 2021-2022 season. What would make Abahani more confident that it will get all of their first choice players in the Super League phase as they have no International commitment right at this moment. The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) kept two days gap for each round in the Super League, keeping the ongoing shimmering heat that affected the country severely, in mind. The way CCDM prepare the itinerary, the teams will get four rounds of Super League out of five before the five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe, which starts on May 3. So every team is expected to get their national players service at least for first three rounds. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha