Barisal gun down 159 with Lewis ton

Barisal Bulls 159 for 1 (Lewis 101*, Talukdar 38) beat Dhaka Dynamites 158 for 5 (Sangakkara 60, ten Doeschate 45*) by nine wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

This season's BPL has witnessed several noteworthy bowling performances but a T20 league needed raw, big-hitting innings and Evin Lewis delivered that, his unbeaten 101 off 65 balls sealing a nine-wicket win for Barisal Bulls over Dhaka Dynamites.

Lewis smashed seven fours and six sixes on his way to become the sixth centurion in the tournament. Barisal will get more firepower with Chris Gayle, who had reeled off three centuries in the BPL, poised to join the team in Dhaka next week. They now have four wins, level with Rangpur Riders who have played an extra match.

Chasing 159, Barisal began in earnest with Lewis swinging Farhad Reza for a six over midwicket in the second over. Two balls later, Rony Talukdar produced a similar shot for a six of his own. They chugged along to 81 in ten overs and Lewis felt no need to hold back. He got to his fifty off 39 balls, with a six off Nabil Samad over long-off. Lewis then plundered 27 runs off the next over bowled by Ryan ten Doeschate, thanks to three sixes over midwicket, long-off and cover and two fours. During the over, Lewis surpassed his own personal T20 best of 78 and ended up with the the highest individual score in the BPL this season.

Talukar was dismissed in the 14th over by Abul Hasan for 38 off 34 balls. The equation was a straightforward 32 off 38 balls with nine wickets in hand. Lewis reached his century in the 18th over with a quick single and celebrated with a leap of sheer joy and three balls later, Mehedi Maruf hit the winning runs with more than an over to spare.

Earlier, ten Doeschate had a better time with the bat, his 32-ball 45 helping Dhaka finish impressively after a sluggish start. He added 59 with Sangakkara and a rapid 26 with Malcolm Waller, who perhaps played the best shot of the Dhaka innings: a rasping square drive for a six.

Having been inserted, Dhaka were in trouble at 73 for 4 by the 11th over. Shykat Ali edged behind to Talukar, Lahiru Thirimanne was brilliantly stumped in the eighth over before Nasir Hossain's wild swing was caught easily Mahmudullah, who had run back from slip. But Sangakkara, who made 60 off 46 balls, kept them afloat.

Abul Hasan, who was promoted to No.6, too did not fire but Sangakkara offset all this, cutting, flicking, driving, and even paddle-scooping. But he was eventually upstaged.