Energetic, electric, eccentric. BPL 2025’s first day had excitement, drama, and intense run chases. The opening games brought 4 teams into the frame, reigning champions Fortune Barishal against newcomers Rajshahi Kings, and Rangpur Riders vs Dhaka Capitals. Multitude of stars were on show today including opener Tamim Iqbal, pacer Mustafizur Rahman, batter Yasir Ali, and speedster Nahid Rana. With a rare flat pitch in Mirpur, all teams were able to cash in on runs, but high scores were not enough as Barishal achieved a mammoth chase of 198 to seal their first victory. 

Even if the match was entertaining, the opening game began at a tame pace. The top of the batting order began to falter with the wickets of youngster Jishan Alam and Mohammad Haris, both to the West Indian all-rounder Kyle Mayers. Afterwards, the northern ship was brought under control by captain Anamul Haque Bijoy and Yasir Ali Rabbi, who contributed to a colossal partnership of 160 before Ryan Burl arrived to hit 9 off 8. Yasir Ali hit an outstanding 94 of 47, smashing 7 fours and 8 sixes all across the Mirpur ground. 

Barishal responded slowly, with opener and national team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto being dismissed for a golden duck by Jishan. Captain Tamim Iqbal was trapped LBW by Taskin in the next over, and Kyle Mayers went after 2 overs. The subsequent wickets of keeper ‘Mushy’ and batter Hridoy left Barishal at a helpless 61-5, needing 137 more in less than 12 overs. Then arrived the duo of Mahmudullah and Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. The highflying ‘chacha’ and the number hit a quick 50 run partnership within 4 overs before Afridi was caught in the deep by fellow countrymen Mohammad Haris for just 27. Thus entered Faheem Ashraf, another Pakistani pacer. With 7 glorious sixes from Ashraf’s bat and 44 runs from boundaries of Mahmudullah’s bat, the target was comfortably chased in fine-fashion with 11 balls to spare. A dynamic opening game to a revolutionary season. 

With dew being a critical factor, the second game kicked off with Dhaka winning the toss and elected to bowl first. A star-studded bowling lineup included the in-form Alauddin Babu from the NCL alongside the world-famous ‘fizz’ and the ‘Nagin Nazmul’. Even with a pacey lineup, Dhaka were left in tatters as Iftikhar Ahmed, Khusdil Shah, Saif Hasan, and Nurul Hasan hit 165 runs in 105 balls. Although Alauddin Babu led the pack with 3 wickets, 4 bowlers out of the 6 utilized had an economy above 10.00, a startling number in Bangladesh, however, newcomer Mukidul Islam showed a lot of promise with his pace, picking up 2 wickets while only giving away 27 runs in his full quota, going at 6.75. 

After setting 191 on the board, Rangpur felt confident to chase in a pitch which was holding up for pacers. However, openers Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan, both in poor form from the recently concluded Bangladesh tour of West Indies, began attacking atrociously. Eight boundaries rained from the pair as Dhaka raced to 61-0 in the powerplay, causing alarm bells to ring all across the Rangpur dressing room. But the reigning world champions in the Global Super League showcased that after the calm came the storm. Spin maestro Sheikh Mahedi Hasan twisted and twirled Dhaka over in the 8th over, bringing chaos to the capital. Thus began the immaculate crumble of the batting order. The next scores read 6, 17, 1, 17, 1, and 0, as Dhaka sank from 65-0 to 117-8 in the next 8 overs, a disheartening sight to the thousands of Dhaka supporters while Rangpur lovers danced their way through the night. Even after a fightback from Mukidul Islam and Nazmul Islam, the target became a hill too steep to climb, leading to Dhaka completing the 20 overs and stumbling to just a mere 151-9. An underwhelming performance from most of the high-flying units which were handpicked from the NCL T20 tournament. 

These two games brought an electric sense and jolted up the entire tournament. Old school boys showcased the power of experience in pressure situations, while new-bloods in the tournament proved effective for the winning sides of Barishal and Rangpur. For Rajshahi and Dhaka, they must return to the drawing board and begin formulating new strategies in order to maintain stability and ignite viciousness inside the dressing room. With only two matches bringing heaps of entertainment, this tournament is beginning to shape up into a fascinating contest for the rest of the month.