Rajshahi Kings 136 for 6 (Ayub 45, Narine 3-19) beat Dhaka Dynamites 116 for 9 (Sunny 3-8) by 20 runs
How the game played out
Rajshahi Kings broke Dhaka Dynamites' four-match winning streak, successfully defending a total of 136 for 6 as Arafat Sunny took extraordinary figures of 3 for 8 from his four overs, including the scalps of Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan.
Dynamites were restricted to 116 for 9, a batting performance that was a far cry from their big-hitting ways in their last four games when either their openers, or allrounders, made a big score.
When the Kings batted first, Marshall Ayub top scored with 45 off 31 balls, with three fours and two sixes. It was his first BPL match since the 2013 tournament.
But the Kings' middle-order couldn't take advantage of the start provided by Ayub and Nafees, as Sunil Narine grabbed three wickets to stifle the middle order.
Turning points
- Nafees and Ayub put on 75 runs for the second wicket in just 8.5 overs, a refreshing performance from two batsmen known more for their exploits in the longer versions of the game.
- Kings made only 27 runs in their last five overs, losing three wickets.
- Ryan ten Doeschate and substitute Soumya Sarkar combined to take Kieron Pollard's boundary line catch, to leave Dynamites seven down and send back the team's last remaining hope in their chase.
Star of the day
Sunny's first ball had Russell, promoted to No 3, caught at mid-on before he bowled Rony Talukdar with an arm-ball. When he had Shakib caught at the deep midwicket boundary, the Kings' celebration said a lot about how crucial they felt the wicket was to their chances.
The big miss
Umpiring errors continued in the BPL with the third umpire in this game judging ten Doeschate not out when the Snickometer (or UltraEdge) clearly showed a spike when the ball was passing his gloves in the 12th over of the Kings' innings. Ten Doeschate was initially given not out by the on-field umpire too.
Where the teams stand
Kings join Comilla Victorians and Chittagong Vikings with six points, while the Dynamites remain on top of the points table with eight points from five games.
