Last season, Tamim Iqbal led Barishal to their first-ever BPL title. Scoring the tournament’s highest 492 runs, he was crowned the best player. Alongside his batting, Tamim’s leadership played a significant role in achieving that milestone.
This season, Barishal will once again play under Tamim’s captaincy. Naturally, their eyes are set on the championship, as stated by team spinner Nayeem Hasan, who also praised Tamim’s leadership.
Nayeem previously played for Barishal in the 2021-22 season when Shakib Al Hasan was leading the team. Last season, he represented Sylhet. This will be his first time playing under Tamim’s captaincy in the BPL.
Tamim is an established captain in Bangladeshi cricket. Although Nayeem hasn’t played under his leadership in the BPL before, he has a good understanding of Tamim’s captaincy style. Speaking about it, Nayeem said, “I’ve played with him (Tamim) before as a senior. It’s always fun playing under his captaincy. Even in the national team, it was fun. When he’s in the team, you always get extra support.”
Tamim recently returned to competitive cricket after seven months through the National Cricket League T20. In four matches, he scored two fifties, including an unbeaten 91. Referring to Tamim’s batting, Nayeem added, “By the grace of Allah, Tamim bhai is batting really well. Even in the NCL, he played four matches and scored two big knocks, staying unbeaten in one of them. He’s in a good place by Allah’s mercy.”
Barishal’s aim remains the same this season—winning the championship. According to Nayeem, their preparations align with that goal. “Alhamdulillah, the team environment is excellent. We became champions last time, and everyone is focused on that mindset now. The sooner we settle the team, the better. We all play together, and Alhamdulillah, the atmosphere is really good.”
This season, Barishal will field a largely unchanged squad. The franchise has retained experienced players like Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim while also adding talents such as Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain, and Rishad Hossain to the team.
Barishal will kick off their campaign on December 30 with their first match against Durbar Rajshahi at Mirpur.
