ESPNcricinfo has chosen the best XI from this year’s Bangladesh Premier League, with a tweak: given the large number of overseas performers and a lack of solid performances from Bangladesh cricketers, it became difficult to justify sticking to the BPL’s five-overseas-players policy. Therefore, this XI contains only four local players.
Chris Gayle (11 matches, 485 runs, 176.36 strike-rate)
He started the playoffs at No 15 in the list of run-getters, but the next three innings brought him 275 runs and put him on top of the list, almost touching Ahmed Shehzad’s record of most runs – 486 – in a BPL season. Gayle’s unbeaten 126 in the eliminator against Khulna Titans and the unbeaten 146 in the final against Dhaka Dynamites not only zoomed him to the top, it handed Rangpur Riders their maiden BPL title.
Evin Lewis (12 matches, 396 runs, 159.03 strike-rate)
After Tuesday’s final, Gayle was asked if there was a batsman who could touch his T20 heights. “Evin Lewis, watch out for him,” was his answer. Certainly, Lewis wasn’t just mini-Gayle in this tournament, but a very important member of the Dhaka side. He struck three fifties, including a 31-ball 75 chasing a big total against Chittagong Vikings. He missed out on a big one in the final, though.
Mohammad Mithun (15 matches, 329 runs, 117.50 strike-rate), wicketkeeper
Mithun kept Rangpur going when Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Johnson Charles were not making runs during the league stage. He came in often after an early wicket and was a solid presence, particularly in tricky chases. He is one of only two Bangladeshi batsman among the top five run-getters. His wicketkeeping too was useful.
Sikandar Raza (11 matches, 278 runs, 153.59 strike-rate)
Having started the tournament without much of a reputation in T20s, Raza ended the BPL campaign with his first real success in the format. He struck the ball cleanly, the highlight of which was his 45-ball 95 against the Sylhet Sixers. Apart from being an excellent outfielder, Raza’s offspin produced one four-wicket haul.
Mahmudullah (12 matches, 312 runs, 130.00 strike-rate)
Mahmudullah was one of the better local batsmen in this year’s tournament, striking the ball well in the middle-overs. He struck two fifties but would have liked to finish the tournament better. Mahmudullah led Khulna’s young side quite well and, as usual, his bowling and fielding came in handy on many occasions.
Carlos Brathwaite (12 matches, 250 runs, 185.18 strike-rate)
He was easily the best finisher in the tournament. Brathwaite coming into bat meant an extra 30 runs for Khulna in the slog overs. His stand-and-deliver approach put fear in the bowlers; some of his shots were attractive too. Brathwaite may have liked to have had a better tournament as a bowler, but he remains one of the best T20 allrounders going around at the moment.
Shakib Al Hasan (13 matches, 211 runs, 22 wickets, 6.49 economy)
Shakib had yet another fantastic BPL. He was one of Dhaka’s better batsmen among the crowd of overseas big-hitters, and ended as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. He also equalled Kevon Cooper’s 22 wickets, the most taken in a single BPL campaign. He also did a good job as captain of a side packed with superstars and with the highest expectations given their ownership and influence.
Sunil Narine (12 matches, 200 runs, 11 wickets, 4.95 economy rate)
From the first game, teams planned not to go after Narine. It meant he finished with only 11 wickets, but a superb economy rate. Invariably, Dhaka could rely on his four overs to go for less than 20 runs. He was also effective with the bat, ending with 200 runs with a batting strike-rate of 147.05.
