Fortune Barishal's Victory in BPL Final: Tamim Iqbal Highlights Rishad Hossain's Key Contribution

In a thrilling BPL final, Chittagong Kings put up a fierce fight against Fortune Barishal. After setting a challenging target with the bat, Chittagong Kings came close to winning the match with some impressive bowling. However, Rishad Hossain’s two crucial sixes in the final stages turned the game in Barishal’s favor, sealing their victory. While many players contributed to the win, Tamim Iqbal pointed out that Rishad’s sixes were the turning point of the match.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Tamim Iqbal said, "I could talk about many players, but Rishad’s two sixes were the turning point."

Opening the innings, Towhid Hridoy played a steady knock of 32 runs from 28 balls. While Tamim Iqbal hit boundaries, Hridoy’s singles and doubles kept the innings ticking along. Tamim mentioned that Hridoy’s calm batting approach helped him ease into his own rhythm.

"I got off to a good start, and I must give credit to Hridoy. Some might wonder why Hridoy played like that, but it was because of his approach that I was able to play my natural game. When I get a quick start, I don’t want to lose my rhythm. I told him that even if he doesn’t connect, just take the singles and give me the strike. I will handle it. I don’t think Binura gave away more than 10-12 runs in his first two overs. I was feeling good."

With the quick dismissals of Mahmudullah Riyad and Mohammad Nabi, Fortune Barishal found themselves under pressure. At that moment, the captain was feeling the strain. Tamim admitted, "When Riyad Bhai and Nabi got out, I was a bit worried. I wasn’t sure who to send in at 9 or 10. The first six was a game-changer. That’s why I always back Rishad. His batting was very important."

Although Jimmy Neesham was included in the squad for the final, he didn’t play. Tamim explained, "No, no, I was clear about this. We had to fly Neesham in from Africa and pay him to play, only if there was an injury. We already had our foreign players, and if any of them got injured, we had no one else to play. He could play for any BPL team. The players who had played 7-8 matches knew the wickets and opponents well. I was clear in my mind and told Neesham the day before that he wouldn’t play."