Dhaka Gladiators lift first BPL title

Mirpur: The curtains came down on the maiden Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Wednesday with Dhaka Gladiators lifting the trophy by beating Barisal Burners by eight wickets on Wednesday.

Both the teams played their respective semifinals on Tuesday and clashed in the finals without a rest day. It was Dhaka Gladiators, who won the toss and chose to field and this decision worked in their favour.

The Barisal openers got off to a good start but the middle-order failed to capitalise on it. Brad Hodge was the top-scorer with 70 runs off 51, including four sixes and four boundaries; however, Barisal could manage only an average 140 in 20 overs.

Dhaka Gladiators defeated Barisal Burners by 8 wickets to win the maiden Bangladesh Premier League title.

For the Gladiators, Shahid Afridi was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan chipped in with two. However, the target wasn't imposing and the run-chase was made rather easy by the Gladiators' batsmen.

Opener Imran Nazir came out in an attacking frame of mind and slammed a 43-ball 75, which was studded with six sixes and equal number of fours. It was Nazir's knock that gave the impetus to Gladiators chase and at the end Anamul Haque (49) saw his side through with 26 balls remaining.

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