In an exciting Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match, Mohammedan Sporting Club beat their rival Abahani Limited by 39 runs in Mirpur on Saturday (April 12).  At last, Mohammedan won their first one-day match against Abahani since 2016, breaking an eight-year losing streak. The game was full of drama, tough play, and great individual efforts.

Even though they lost, Abahani are still on top of the table. They tied Mohammedan for first place in the league with 18 points, but Abahani have a better net run rate going into the Super Six stage.

When Mohammedan lost the toss and had to bat, they got off to a great start.  Even though opener Rony Talukdar was out early for 16 off 18, Anisul Islam Emon and Mahidul Islam Ankon's partnership at the second wicket made things strong.  Together, they scored 123 runs, and Ankon was out for 48 off 55, just missing his fifty

But Anisul didn't give up.  After being under a lot of pressure, the left-hander hit a brilliant 114 off of 118 balls, which included 18 fours and 2 sixes.  Mohammedan got to a respectable 264 all out in 48.2 overs, thanks to useful cameos from Mushfiqur Rahim (20), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (18), and Mahmudullah Riyad (17).

It was Abahani's Nahid Rana who took three wickets with the ball. Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Rakibul Hasan, and Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby each took two.  One more was added by Mosaddek Hossain Saikat.

In response, Abahani made a mistake early on and lost Jishan Alam and Parvez Hossain Emon.  Mohammad Mithun, a veteran batter, also failed to make a difference.  Even though he was under a lot of pressure, Najmul Hossain Shanto kept his cool and hit seven fours in his 80 runs.

Mominul Haque (25), Mosaddek Hossain (24), and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury (24), came in for a short time but couldn't stay long enough to help Shanto.  Abahani stopped fighting after he was dismissed.  They were out for 225 runs after 47.2 overs, 39 runs short.

The bowlers for Mohammedan were great the whole game.  Ebadot Hossain was the star of the game with four wickets. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Saifuddin each took two wickets to end the game.