DPL week 4: Abahani, Mohammedan take top two spots to book Super League berth

Despite having the same points as table-toppers Abahani Limited, but behind on net run rate, Mohammedan Sporting Club finished the first phase of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2024-25 with a psychological edge. On Sunday, Mohammedan beat Abahani after nine years in the Dhaka derby, thus breaking an 11-match losing streak. Both Abahani and Mohammedan qualified for the tournament's Super League phase, where the top six teams will play each other again to decide the champions.

Gazi Group Cricketers (third) and Legends of Rupganj (sixth) also enter the next stage of the competition, along with Gulshan Cricket Club and Agrani Bank Cricket Club, who surprisingly progressed despite being promoted from the lower Dhaka First Division Cricket League only this season.

Meanwhile, big spenders Prime Bank Cricket Club and Dhanmondi Sporting Club (formerly Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club) ended up having disappointing seasons, as they both failed to reach the Super League stage.

Anamul Haque finished the first stage as the tournament's highest run-getter, with 655 runs at an average of 72.77. He also finished as one of six batters to score two hundreds each. Mohammad Naim (618 runs at 61.80) and Parvez Hossain Emon (569 runs at 71.12) were impressive too and followed Anamul in the run charts. Shadman Islam, known more for his red-ball experience, was also among the top five run-getters.

Left-arm spinners Rakibul Hasan and Taijul Islam ended as joint-leading wicket-takers with 23 wickets each. Three bowlers were joint-second, including offspinner Mosaddek Hossain, and medium-pacers Shoriful Islam and Asaduzzaman Payel. Against Brothers Union, Shoriful picked up 6 for 40, which were the best bowling figures of the tournament.

Gulshan beat Dhanmondi by two wickets in a chase that went into the last over. Tailenders Moinul Islam and Nihaduzzaman took Gulshan to victory with two balls to spare after senior pro Naeem Islam's half-century kept the 259-run chase afloat. Earlier in the game, Asaduzzaman and Mehedi Hasan took three wickets each to restrict Dhanmondi to 258 for 9 in 50 overs.

While the top six teams enter the Super League, two of the bottom three sides - Partex Sporting Club, Brothers Union and Shinepukur Cricket Club - will be relegated. Partex finished with six points, and thus tenth among the 12 teams after beating Dhanmondi in their last match, but there have been some reported infighting in their setup.

Meanwhile, Shinepukur, who ended at the bottom of the table, also have another problem to deal with, with the BCB investigating a controversial stumping during their match against Gulshan.

Partex, Brothers Union and Shinepukur will play each other to decide which team continues in the tournament and which of the two will be relegated.

Three batters aged under 22 finished with more than 300 runs in the tournament: Brothers Union's Mahfijul Islam (406 runs) and Aich Mollah (302 runs), and Partex captain Ahrar Amin (365). While Mahfijul made a century and three half-centuries, Mollah struck two fifties and Amin three.

Among the young bowlers, Mahfuzur Rahman took 14 wickets for Abahani. Tofael Ahmed, meanwhile, was the most impressive among the pace-bowling allrounders, as he took ten wickets and scored 269 runs for Gazi Group.