Sports Desk:

The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s revamped National Cricket League T20 has emerged as a crucial platform for domestic cricketers and has proven to be a success for unearthing fresh talent.

As the NCL T20 concluded with Rangpur claiming the trophy, it showcased a new generation of power hitters and bowlers ready to make their mark on both domestic and international stages.

It also served as a preparation for the forthcoming Bangladesh Premier League that starts on December 30.

The chief coordinator of BCB programs, Minhajul Abedin, believes the tournament fulfilled its purpose of identifying new talents.

‘The tournament has brought many players into the focus. We hope to organise the tournament in the future and hope that our deficiency in the T20 format will be fulfilled,’ said Minhajul.

Not only did the new players capture everyone’s attention, but those excluded from the national team also displayed their skills.

The tournament saw impressive batting prowess, with Dhaka Metro’s Naim Sheikh scoring 316 runs at a strike rate of 135.04, including three half-centuries.

Naim played a major role in taking Metro to the final in the NCL T20. In the second qualifier, he scored 57 runs off 53 balls to lead the team to victory.

New face Jishan Alam amassed 281 runs, including one century with an impressive strike rate of 158.75, hitting the tournament’s highest 22 sixes.

Apart from Jishan, no other batsman could hit more than 17 sixes in this tournament.

Habibur Rahman, known for his hard-hitting abilities in BPL, scored 259 runs at a strike rate of 160.86 and hit 17 sixes.

Under-19 Asia Cup-winning captain Azizul Hakim Tamim also impressed, scoring 237 runs at a strike rate of 136.99 for Khulna.

Other consistent performers are Imranuzzaman (228 runs), Ariful Islam (213 runs), Akbar Ali (208 runs), and Toufiq Khan (200 runs).

Akbar’s leadership and wicket-keeping were instrumental in Rangpur’s title victory. The young captain not only claimed 12 dismissals behind the stumps but also played a vital role in team strategies.

Among bowlers, Alauddin Babu took 19 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker.

The 33-year-old pace-bowling all-rounder was followed by Ahmed Sharif (16 wickets) and Rakibul Hasan (15 wickets).

Mystery spinner Aliss Al Islam and pacer Abu Haider Rony also stood out, taking 14 and 13 wickets, respectively.

Rony, who scored 123 runs at a staggering strike rate of 164 with the bat, became the tournament’s best for his sparkling all-round performance.

Rangpur’s Mukidul Islam Mugdho is in sixth place with 12 wickets. He was adjudged man of the match in the final for his three-wicket haul.

This tournament also saw the return of Tamim Iqbal to competitive cricket after a seven-month hiatus.

Tamim accumulated 190 runs over four matches, boasting a strike rate of 150, which is considerably above his career strike rate of 116.96 in this format.