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Published : 09 Dec 2016, 08:43 PM
Gritty knocks from Evin Lewis (45) up the order and Kumar Sangakkara (26) late in the innings took the home team to a fighting 159-9 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Friday evening.
Rajshahi never seemed to threaten to reach the target. They lost wickets regularly before folding for 103.
Although Dhaka were the favourites on paper to win the tournament, they did stutter at times on their way to the final, losing to Rajshahi on the two occasions they had met before.
But they fashioned a domineering display in the title-decider, reducing it into a one-sided affair.
Dhaka had won the first two editions but it was a different franchise – Dhaka Gladiators. After Comilla Victorians clinched the title in the third edition last year, the trophy once again has returned to the team from the capital.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza led the Gladiators and the Victorians to the title in all three previous tournaments. Shakib has now notched his first title win as captain.
Rajshahi openers were watchful at the start of their chase but the stand was broken when pacer Abu Jayed took out Nurul Hasan (5) in the third over with a slower.
Sabbir Rahman (26) and Mominul Haque (27) then patiently played themselves in and added 47 for the second wicket.
Dhaka bowlers rarely offered room and boundaries were hard to come by for the duo but they reduced the target with singles and doubles.
The asking rate, however, climbed to almost 10 an over. Sabbir succumbed to the building pressure and got himself run out before Mominul was rapped in front by Shakib Al Hasan with Rajshahi still needing 94 runs from 9 overs.
Things could have been worse for Rajshahi had Nasir Hossain not turned his back to the oncoming catch from dangerman Samit Patel in the next over by Andre Russell. Sunzamul Islam then made amends when James Franklin (5) holed out in the deep.
Patel (17) and Darren Sammy (6) tried to pull things back with a boundary and a six but Shakib unleashed a fast slider and castled the latter to put Dhaka firmly in control. Patel also perished going for a big shot and the slide continued.
Dhaka inched closer with the wickets of Mehedi Hasan Miraz (1) and Farhad Reza (2) but a brief incident took centrestage amid the deafening roar of the home crowd.
Kesrick Williams (4) had come out of his crease to play the ball back to Bravo and the bowler latched on to it to throw it back ferociously on his follow through, only to hit his compatriot’s elbow. The batsman fell to the ground and writhed in agony before walking off retired hurt.
Russell then took out Nazmul Islam with a catch of his own and was mobbed by his teammates who embarked on a victory lap around the ground.
Asked to bat first, Dhaka were off to a frantic start.
Williams banged in a short one at Lewis, another pinned on the helmet of Mehedi Maruf (8) who pushed at the next one, also a bouncer, towards the slips but it burst through the fingers of an unprepared Sammy.
Miraz landed another first-ball blow to give the breakthrough as Maruf was picked out by Williams at points with Dhaka on 23.
With the stakes high in the title-decider, Nasir could not make most of his new-found spot at three. Being dropped in the previous ball from Afif Hossain, he was embarrassingly stumped after scoring just 5.
Mosaddek Hossain went back off Sammy’s first ball matching Nasir’s score as Dhaka slipped to 42-3 after six overs.
Lewis then powerfully clubbed away six boundaries from the 12 balls he faced to regain impetus as Dhaka’s run rate crossed eight at the end of the 10th over.
But Sammy once again turned things around with his bowling change. He brought Farhad back into the attack and he struck with his first ball, too, to end Lewis’ 31-ball knock.
Farhad then began to have his say, taking a stunning catch at the edge of the boundary to take out Russell (8) before grabbing the wicket of Shakib, who surprisingly came out to bat at eight, for 12.
Sangakkara then took matters into his own hands. With wickets tumbling at the other end, he dug deep and kept the scoreboard ticking. His 33-ball knock had just two boundaries and a six.
Reza claimed the prized scalp of the Sri Lankan legend in the last over but Dhaka managed to squeeze out 15 runs from it, thanks to a couple of boundaries from Sunzamul (12 not out), to finish on a high.
Dhaka scored 44 from the last four overs.
Farhad was the pick of the bowlers for Dhaka, returning 3-28 in four overs.
Brief scores:
Dhaka Dynamites: 159/9 in 20 over (Maruf 8, Lewis 45, Nasir 5, Mosaddek 5, Sangakkara 36, Bravo 13, Russell 8, Shakib 12, Alauddin 1, Sunzamul 12*, Abu Jayed 0*; Williams 1/36, Farhad 3/28, Miraz 1/22, Afif 1/23, Sammy 1/22, Nazmul 0/13, Patel 1/8).
Rajshahi Kings: 103 in 17.4 overs (Nurul 8, Mominul 27, Sabbir 26, Patel 17, Franklin 5, Sammy 6, Afif 4*, Miraz 1, Farhad 2, Williams 3 (ret. hurt), Nazmnul 1; Abu Jayed 2/12, Russell 1/21, Shakib 2/30, Brvo 1/20, Sunzamul 2/17).
Result: Dhaka Dynamites win by 56 runs.
Man of the Match: Kumar Sangakkara (Dhaka Dynamites)
Player of the Tournament: Mamudullah (Khulna Titans)
