Tamim, Shakib, Hridoy and Shoriful in BPL 2024 team of the tournament

The 10th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) came to an end on Friday after Fortune Barishal secured their maiden title, ending Comilla Victorians' dominant streak. 

The six-week tournament saw a host of glorious performances from notable local and overseas players. It was a breakout season for a few youngsters but a lot of veterans proved a point. 

The Business Standard (TBS) attempted to pick the best XI of the tournament based on the players' performances in the tournament. The impact of these performances on results, strike rates and economy rates in specific positions and phases have been given more importance. 

Tamim Iqbal (capt) (492 runs @35.1, Strike-rate: 127.1)

It was a tournament to remember for Fortune Barishal captain Tamim Iqbal given what has happened over the last few months. He admitted he was a bit nervous leading up to the tournament but the way he guided his teams to victory with the bat multiple times and led by example was remarkable to say the least. He fell just eight runs short of the 500-run mark but the southpaw delivered with the bat more often than not for Barishal.

Litton Das(wk) (391 runs @27.9, Strike-rate: 130.8)

While Tamim was an obvious choice, it was not easy choosing his opening partner. It was a toss-up between Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das. Tanzid's average and strike-rate were higher than those of Litton but the Comilla captain has been included in our XI because he is a keeper and did quite superbly in the business end of the tournament. He made four 40+ scores in his last seven games and his 57-ball-83 helped Comilla ace a stiff chase in the second Qualifier against Rangpur.

Kyle Mayers (243 runs, Strike-rate: 157.8, 9 wickets, Economy rate: 5.9)

Since his arrival, Kyle Mayers has been by far the best all-round performer in the tournament. He started and ended his BPL 2024 campaign with Player of the Match performances. He batted aggressively, bowled with the new ball and did not put a foot wrong. It was his first BPL experience but Mayers adapted to the conditions really well and batted with aggression and class and his swing bowling at medium pace was tough to negotiate for the batters.

Shakib Al Hasan (255 runs, Strike-rate: 153.4, 17 wickets, Economy rate: 6.3)

He suffered from a retinal condition of the left eye and was booed by the crowd throughout the tournament, but Shakib Al Hasan managed to finish the tournament with pretty decent all-round numbers. His bowling was excellent as usual but Shakib had a really poor start to the tournament. He made amends especially in the Chattogram phase of the tournament and was instrumental in Rangpur Riders' excellent run in the tournament. He picked up 17 wickets in the 2024 BPL, the second-most in the tournament. 

Towhid Hridoy (462 runs @38.5, Strike-rate: 149.5)

The 2023 BPL was the breakthrough season for Towhid Hridoy and the right-handed batter started in this tournament from where he left off - albeit for a new team. Hridoy finished the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, just behind Tamim, and was easily Comilla Victorians' best performer. He was the first player to hit a century in the tournament and the only player to do so in Mirpur. He hit 24 maximums in the BPL 2024, comfortably the highest.

James Neesham (291 runs, Strike-rate: 167.2, 4 wickets, Economy rate: 9.93)

James Neesham was a late addition to the tournament but ended up being Rangpur Riders' highest run-getter in the BPL 2024. He is an all-rounder but his batting performance was enough to pick him in the XI. Neesham smacked a magnificent 97* off 49, his best T20 score, against Comilla in the second Qualifier. It was one of the innings of the season. His strike-rate of 167.2 was the highest in the tournament among batters with at least 200 runs.

Benny Howell (229 runs, Strike-rate: 144.9, 10 wickets, economy rate: 6.7)

Although he was part of a team that did not win many matches, Benny Howell emerged as a standout BPL performer again. He completed the double of 200 runs and 10 wickets in the tournament, just like Shakib, and provided some muscle power in the late order. Also his slow medium pace and variations were quite hard for the batters to face but unfortunately he had little support from his teammates.

Mahedi Hasan (16 wickets, Economy rate: 7.4, 182 runs, Strike-rate: 145.6)

His form somewhat dipped towards the end of the tournament with the ball but Mahedi finished the tournament with impressive numbers. An off-spinner who bowls regularly with the new and old ball, Mahedi picked up 16 wickets in the BPL 2024 at an economy rate of 7.4. He was used as a floater frequently and the right-handed batter did quite well with the bat. His batting has improved quite a bit and he was able to play a number of effective knocks of late.

Mohammad Saifuddin (15 wickets, Economy rate: 6.8, 63 runs, Strike-rate: 185.3)

As Tamim Iqbal pointed out, it was a big gamble for Barishal to include Saifuddin in the squad despite knowing he would be available only in the second half of the tournament. But his return bolstered the Barishal squad and his bowling was a big reason why they won the title. His superb last over in the final to Andre Russell was a major turning point in the final. He bowled extensively in the powerplay and slog overs but maintained an economy rate of under seven runs per over. 

Shoriful Islam (22 wickets @15.9, Economy rate: 7.8) 

His team Durdanto Dhaka were the first team to be knocked out, Shoriful Islam posed wicket-taking threats like no other in the tournament. He started the tournament with a four-wicket haul including a hat-trick and finished the tournament with 22 scalps, five more than the second-placed Shakib Al Hasan. His bowling strike-rate of 12.18 was the best for anyone in the tournament with a minimum of 10 wickets. He was outstanding, especially with the new ball, swinging the ball prodigiously. 

Bilal Khan (15 wickets @26.1, Economy rate: 7.9)

Bilal Khan became the first Oman player to play a overseas franchise T20 tournament and the way he cracked the role of a fast bowler was superb. The left-arm seamer got the ball to shape away from left-handers and into the right-handers. He bowled with both the new and old ball and used his variations to great effect. He led the Chattogram bowling attack and helped them reach the playoffs despite not having many big-name players.