Reigning champions of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Bashundhara Kings are determined and they have a dream to retain the title and hope to remain unbeaten in the second phase of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which is scheduled to resume on April 8.
The BPL first phase completed on Sunday with the last match of round 13 between Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
Kings secured 34 points from 12 outings, took a massive lead of eight points on the points tally. They won 11 matches and one ended with a draw.
Kings’ only draw came against title contenders Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, who also remained unbeaten in the league with 26 points from 12 encounters. Sheikh Jamal is currently in second position.
Kings netted the highest 32 goals in the league so far, conceded only five, which is the least number of goals conceded by a BPL team in this season.
The league leaders sank Dhaka Abahani by 4-1 goals in their last outings of the first phase at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on February 28. Kings Technical Director BA Jobayer Nipu said to our correspondent on Tuesday that they hope to remain unbeaten in the seven home matches of the second phase which would help them to extend the unbeaten run.
“We expect to maintain the unbeaten record in the second phase as we will play seven out of 12 matches at home ground. It’s a big advantage for us. We’ve maintained a good point difference in the first phase, so we won’t have any extra pressure if we share points in two or three matches in the next phase. But we have to avoid any defeat in the second phase,” Nipu said.
“We did some mistakes last year. Despite a lead, we lost a match against Chattogram Abahoni. We took a good lesson from that match. The good thing is that we are executing our plans smoothly this year. Also, I believe, Kings are the most balanced team in the tournament. We’re scoring goals, dominating the midfield and saving our post successfully. It is possible because local and foreign players have a perfect combination. This combination will also help us to retain the title with the unbeaten run,” he added.
