Dhaka Premier League (DPL) 2025: Abahani Falls to Agrani Bank in Season Opener

The defending champions, Abahani Limited, suffered a defeat in their opening match of the new season of the Dhaka Premier Division League (DPL), losing to Agrani Bank Cricket Club. Despite posting a decent total of 234 runs in their innings, Abahani could not defend the target as Agrani Bank chased it down with ease, winning by 6 wickets in just 45 overs.

After winning the toss, Abahani opted to bat first. Their innings was largely built around a 73-run knock from Mossadek Hossain. Imrul Kayes, who captained Agrani Bank, also played a stellar role later in the match. However, Abahani's captain, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, struggled with the bat, managing just 20 runs off 51 balls, while Mominul Haque contributed 27 runs.

Abahani faced further struggles when their opening pair couldn't provide the momentum. Parvez Hossain Imon made a half-century (50 runs), but no other batsman could capitalize on the platform, leading Abahani to be restricted to 234 runs in their allotted 50 overs.

For Agrani Bank, the pace attack from Shahidul Islam proved to be the standout, as he claimed 4 wickets for 44 runs in his 10 overs, slowing Abahani's progress.

In reply, Agrani Bank got off to a solid start, with an opening partnership of 58 runs. Despite the early dismissal of Imran Uzzaman (35 runs off 35 balls), Imrul Kayes and Saddam Islam built a strong middle-order partnership. Saddam fell just 3 runs short of a half-century, but Imrul Kayes continued to dominate with a 94-run knock, getting agonizingly close to a century before being dismissed.

After Saddam’s departure, Imrul Kayes found a reliable partner in Amit Hasan, who contributed 44 runs to the total. A mini-collapse from Abahani came when Mahfuzur Rahman Rabb dismissed both Imrul and Amit in a crucial over, but by then, Agrani Bank had already secured the victory with 6 wickets remaining.

Agrani Bank chased down the target in just 45 overs, securing a 6-wicket win and starting their season on a high note, while Abahani faced a disappointing start to their campaign.