With one to play, it's Abahani's title to lose

Table-toppers Abahani Limited are on the verge of their 19th Dhaka Premier League title after beating Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity comprehensively by 127 runs in their Super League encounter at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

With 22 points in 15 games Abahani will take on Legends of Rupganj, who along with Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club are on 20 points heading into the last Super League round of games on April 5.

If Abahani manages to win the last game then they will be champions but if they lose the game against Rupganj and Sheikh Jamal manages to beat Khelaghar in their last game, then Sheikh Jamal will become champions by virtue of having the most wins in head-to-head games between the three teams that will be tied on 22 points. They have a 1-1 head-to-head record against Abahani and have beaten Rupganj in both their battles.

For Rupganj, who have a 0-1 head-to-head with Abahani, to win the title Sheikh Jamal will have to lose to Khelaghar and Rupganj will have to beat Abahani by a big enough margin to overtake their opponent's net run rate.

Abahani have the clearest path to the title, but they were in a spot of bother after being asked to bat as the batting side kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were reeling on 156 for eight inside 35 overs.

Apart from opener Nazmul Hossain's 56-ball 54, none of the Abahani batsmen were able to convert their starts into big innings. But Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed put on a crucial 49-run stand for the ninth wicket before Taskin was dismissed after scoring 26 off 25 balls with two sixes and a four to take the side past the 200 mark.

Player-of-the-match Mehedi was the last man to be dismissed after scoring 50 off 44 balls, which included three sixes and five fours, but by that time the right-hander had helped his side post a challenging total of 241 in 46.3 overs.

Khelaghar's medium pacer Abdul Halim, despite picking up four wickets for just 10 runs from five overs, did not bowl after his initial spell due to injury. Anjum Ahmed and Sadikur Rahman took two wickets each.

In reply, Khelaghar never looked like chasing the target and were eventually all out for just 114 runs in 27.3 overs. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza bagged three wickets and in the process bagged the record for most wickets in a season by a Bangladeshi in List A cricket, ending his 15th game on 38 wickets.

At the BKSP-3 ground Tanbir Hayder's all-round performance kept Sheikh Jamal in the hunt for the title as they beat Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club by 10 runs. After scoring an unbeaten 43 in Jamal's total of 183 all out in 38 overs, Tanbir pick four wickets with his leg-spin to help bundle out Doleshwar for 173.

Doleshwar were headed for a heavy defeat on 106 for nine, but the last-wicket pair of Salauddin Sakil and Arafat Sunny added 67 runs and at one point were eyeing the win before Salauddin departed for 31. Sunny remained unbeaten on 35.

In the other game of the day in Fatullah, Legends of Rupganj registered a comfortable eight-wicket win over Gazi Group Cricketers. Sent in to bat first, Gazi were all out for just 152 in 45.4 overs with Rupganj pacer Mohammad Shahid bagging four wickets. In reply, Rupganj chased the target in just 22.5 overs for the loss of two wickets, with Avishek Mitra hitting an unbeaten 57.