Fortune Barisal clinched the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title for the first time in their history. Skipper Tamim Iqbal impressed the fans again this season with his captaincy, performance, and behavior on and off the field. Along with that, the experience of veteran cricketers like Mahmudullah Riayd and Mushfiqur Rahim also played a pivotal role for Barishal on the way to winning the title.
Barishal’s franchise owner, Mizanur Rahman, expressed a wish during the tournament: if his team wins the title, he will go to Barisal with the trophy. This time, he declared it officially after his team became champions. He announced this on the official Facebook page of Fortune Barisal. He said that the Fortune Barisal team will go to Barishal with the trophy any day after the 7th of March.
In that Facebook video, the owner of Fortune Barisal said, 'I thank all the supporters of Fortune Barisal for supporting us. We are coming to Barisal any day after the 7th with the trophy. Do join us in this celebration.'
Inviting supporters of all districts of Barishal division to participate in the trophy celebration, he said, 'We are inviting supporters of all districts of Barishal division. Please join with us on the date we give after the 7th.'
Barishal defeated four-time champions the Comilla Victorians by six wickets in the high-voltage final of the 10th season of the BPL last Friday. Leading the team from the front, captain Tamim Iqbal became the highest run scorer and best player of the tournament.
When the Fortune Barishal team took a lap of honor on Friday night, the Shere Bangla National Stadium was packed to capacity. The crowd greeted the new BPL champions with a wave of sound. It came as a huge surprise.
"I am amazed with the number of supporters that Barishal has," captain Tamim Iqbal said. "I always thought that Comilla [the Victorians] had the biggest support, but Barishal this year has overtaken them big time."
And that was just inside the ground. There had been thousands more outside hoping to get tickets to the show, which speaks to just how much the public has appreciated the tournament this year. The BPL has many flaws, but this will feel sweet because of the connection it has with the masses.
Barishal is far from a thriving cricket hub. There was one cricketer from the region on the BPL team, but that doesn't matter. People from the city have really taken to this team, in particular Tamim. The former Bangladesh captain took a step forward from his injuries and controversies of the last 12 months to have his best BPL season as a batter. This was also Tamim's second BPL title after winning with Comilla in 2019. But there were many on his team who had never won it before, including a couple of veterans.