Rajshahi Warriors returned to winning ways on Monday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, chasing down Noakhali Express’s modest total to win by six wickets in a Bangladesh Premier League match despite a mid-tournament captaincy change by their opponents.
Noakhali, who handed the captaincy to Pakistan batter Haider Ali after Saikat Ali led them in the opening two matches, failed to arrest their slide as Rajshahi overhauled the 125-run target with 13 balls to spare.
Put into bat on a dew-laden evening, Noakhali never recovered after a bright but misleading start. Tanzim Hasan Sakib conceded 19 runs in the opening over through wides, a no-ball and byes, yet the early momentum quickly evaporated. Habibur Rahman Sohan was dismissed in the second over, offering a return catch to Binura Fernando.
Ripon Mondol struck in his first spell to remove Sabbir Hossain, who managed just six from 11 balls. Maz Sadakat provided brief resistance, striking two fours and a six on his way to 25 from 18 deliveries, but he too fell before the powerplay could be fully exploited.
Mahidul Islam, fresh from a half-century in the previous match, struggled for fluency. He scored 22 from 27 balls, finding the boundary only once, while Jaker Ali again failed to make an impact with a single-digit score. Noakhali crossed the 100-run mark late, largely thanks to 34 runs from the final 28 balls.
Ripon then capped an outstanding all-round evening by returning at the death to claim three more wickets. Supported by disciplined spells from Binura Fernando and Hussain Talat, he finished with superb figures of 4 overs, 1 maiden, 13 runs and 4 wickets, restricting Noakhali to 125 for 8.
Rajshahi’s chase began shakily when Sahibzada Farhan was bowled by Hasan Mahmud with the second ball of the innings. However, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Najmul Hossain Shanto stabilised the innings with a 65-run partnership that put Rajshahi firmly in control. Shanto scored 24 from 20 balls before falling, while Tanzid top-scored with 29 from 20 deliveries.
A brief wobble followed as Rajshahi lost three wickets for six runs, including Talat for three, but the target was too small to defend. Mushfiqur Rahim and Yasir Ali added an unbroken 65-run stand to seal the result comfortably.
Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 28 from 30 balls, while Yasir finished on 23 from 26, guiding Rajshahi home with six wickets in hand. The win lifted Rajshahi after defeat in their previous match, while Noakhali were left to reflect on another low-scoring effort despite experimenting with leadership.
