Fortune Barishal delivered a dominant performance against the Chattogram Challengers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Eliminator on Monday, securing a place in the second Qualifier.
They will now face the winner of the first Qualifier between Rangpur Riders and Comilla Victorians.
Chattogram's BPL 2024 campaign has come to an end with this defeat.
Despite finishing the league phase with seven wins in 12 matches, and entering the playoffs with the same points as Barishal, their inferior run rate meant they were placed at number fourth in the points table.
Batting first, Chattogram managed a modest total of 135 for nine in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Barishal comfortably chased down the target within 15 overs, securing a convincing victory with seven wickets in hand.
Barishal's chase suffered an early setback with Soumya Sarkar's dismissal for a duck. However, Tamim Iqbal and Kyle Mayers steadied the innings with a crucial 98-run partnership.
Mayers unleashed a blistering 25-ball fifty, which included a 26-run over off Chattogram captain Shuvagata Hom featuring three sixes and two fours.
After Mayers' dismissal at 50, Tamim Iqbal continued to guide Barishal towards victory, ending with his third unbeaten half-century of this BPL season. And with this fifty, his total in this BPL surpasses 400 runs.
Chattogram's batting struggled against a disciplined Barishal bowling attack. They lost in-form opener Tanzid Hasan for just two runs, hunted by Mohammad Saifuddin in the second over.
Wicketkeeper-batter Imrul Kayes fell cheaply for seven, further increasing the pressure.
Josh Brown attempted to counter-attack and was dropped on 20 by Tamim. However, he was unable to fully capitalise on the chance, adding only 14 more runs to his score.
All of Tom Bruce, Shykat Ali, and Shuvagata Hom got starts but failed to convert them into significant contributions.Josh Brown was Chattogram's top scorer with 34, while captain Shuvagata Hom contributed 24. For Barishal, Kyle Mayers and Saifuddin both claimed two wickets for 28 runs in their four-over spells. Obed McCoy also contributed with two wickets for 29 runs.
