Chittagong Kings cruise to fourth consecutive victory

A scintillating century from Graham Clark and an impressive three-wicket haul by Arafat Sunny powered the Chittagong Kings to a commanding 45-run triumph over the Khulna Tigers in the first match of the Chattogram phase of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) today.

Opting to bat first, Chittagong posted a formidable total of 200 for 7 in their 20 overs. Clark led the charge with a blistering 101 off just 50 deliveries, which included seven boundaries and six towering sixes. He was well-supported by opener Parvez Hossain Emon, who contributed a brisk 39 off 29 balls. For Khulna, their Pakistani imports Salman Irshad and Mohammad Nawaz claimed two wickets each.

Khulna's chase faltered early, with three wickets falling during the Powerplay. Despite contributions from Afghan recruit Darwish Rasooli (37 off 31), Mohammad Nawaz (25 off 20), and Afif Hossain (20 off 15), none managed to build substantial innings. Khulna were ultimately restricted to 155 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Arafat Sunny was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with excellent figures of 3 for 25, while pacers Shoriful Islam and Khaled Ahmed chipped in with two wickets apiece.

The result marked Chittagong's fourth consecutive victory, propelling them to the second position on the table with 10 points from five matches. Meanwhile, Khulna endured their fourth successive defeat, leaving them in fourth place with four points from six games.