Junaid joins BPL 5 with double strikePakistan pacer Junaid Khan was in red hot form last year for Khulna Titans as he picked up 20 wickets in BPL 4, finishing as the second highest wicket-taker. The paceman arrived in Dhaka two days ago and was included in the Khulna playing XI in their match against Rajshahi Kings Tuesday. And Junaid wasted little time making an impact, bagging two wickets in the very first over. First, he got the wicket of opener Mominul haque (five) as the left-hander was caught by first slip fielder Nazmul Hossian Shanto. Then Junaid dismissed Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond (nought), who played on. And so, it was a good start for Junaid and the Titans as well.Ariful blasts 17 in game-changing overKhulna batsman Ariful Haque played a superb unbeaten 43-run innings off just 19 balls. But at one stage, Khulna were on the verge of defeat, struggling on 123 for the loss of seven scalps after 16.3 overs when big hitter Carlos Brathwaite lost his wicket. But Ariful formed an unbroken 40-run partnership with No 10 batsman Junaid to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. But the main damage was done in the 17th over. Ariful smashed 17 in that over against seamer Hossain Ali, which proved crucial in the context of the match. Ariful struck two fours, one six and a double in that over, which laid the foundation for Khulna’s comeback. The in-form right-hander struck a six and a four in the last over to clinch the win but that 17-run over was most important, considering Khulna’s fightback.Four wickets in last over, Shakib takes five-forDhaka Dynamites skipper Shakib al Hasan led from the front, taking five wickets against Rangpur Riders. Rangpur made a quick start as, after seven overs, they scored 71, but in the end their total was only 142. Shakib took the scalps of experienced batsmen Shahriar Nafees and Mohammad Mithun in a crucial period of the innings and went on to bag three wickets in the last over to wrap up the opposition’s innings. Actually, four wickets fell in that over as Shakib took the wicket of all-rounder Ziaur Rahman and lower-order batsmen Sohag Gazi and Rubel Hossain, while England’s Ravi Bopara was run out. Shakib finished with brilliant bowling figure of 5/16 – the third best in the history of the BPL.Perera’s stunning final overRangpur all-rounder Thisara Perera bowled a stunning last over to snatch victory for his team in dramatic fashion. Dhaka were cruising along comfortably, despite losing wickets as they have a formidable batting line-up. Rubel gave away three runs and took one wicket in the 18th over while pacer Lasith Malinga conceded three and bagged one scalp in the 19th over. So Perera had to defend 10 in the last over. Still it was manageable for Dhaka as the in-form Kieron Pollard was at the striker’s end. The first ball was a perfect yorker and no runs were scored. The second delivery was a dot ball as well. The third ball was a full toss and it was duly sent away for a sixer. So four were needed from the last three balls and Dhaka were anticipating one final boundary from big man Pollard. The fourth ball was a dot ball as Pollard opted against taking a single. The fifth and penultimate ball was a perfect in-swinging yorker from Perera as Rangpur erupted in joy. And last but not the least, the sixth and final delivery of the match was yet another perfect yorker from Perera that sealed an amazing three-run victory for Rangpur.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
