The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the top tier of the country’s domestic football, came to an end on Saturday with a long seven months of football passion with 13 teams including new champions Bashundhara Kings is the new names of the latest edition.
The BPL 2018-19 began with the match between Dhaka Abahani and another new comers NoFeL Sporting Club at Bangabandhu National Stadium on January 18 this year with a number of top-quality international footballers and promising local booters participated in this year’s of BPL.
The top tier of the country’s domestic football finally came to an end with the match between this season’s champions Bashundhara Kings and Chittagong Abahani at Bangabandhu National Stadium on Saturday last.
This season Bashundhara Kings debuted the elite league competition and clinched the title. On their way to become the newest BPL champions, the Kings secured a total of 65 points, winning 20 out of the total 24 outings.
They confirmed their maiden BPL title with two matches in hand after they played 1-1 draw with Mohammedan Sporting Club on July 25 in their home venue Sheikh Kamal Stadium in Nilphamari. Apart from the title winning 1-1 draw with Mohammedan, the Kings played out only one other game goalless draw with Team BJMC before the drew 1-1 in the last match against Chittagong Abahani.
However, their twenty matches unbeaten run finally came to an end as they suffered their first against Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra.
During their first BPL journey, the new BPL champions also registered a fourteen match record-winning streak breaking six times league champions Dhaka Abahani’s eleven straight victories in 2009-10 season.
This season the league matches were held at six zonal venues across the country. The venues were Bangabandhu National Stadium (Dhaka), Rafiquddin Bhuiyan Stadium (Mymensingh), Sheikh Moni Stadium (Gopalganj), Sheikh Kamal Stadium (Nilphamari), Shaheed Bhulu Stadium (Noakhali) and Sylhet District Stadium (Sylhet).
Popular sky blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani Limited finished their BPL campaign race staying at the second place on the table with 58 points from 19 wins and 1 draw while Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra and Saif Sporting Club captured the third and fourth positions of the table.
The table’s fifth, sixth and seventh positions were gone to Arambagh Krira Shangha, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangshad Krira Chakra.
Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited finished their league campaign staying at the eighth position. Port city team Chittagong Abahani Limited, old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj Muslim and Friends Society, Brothers Union Club finished the 9th, 10th and 11th positions respectively.
The Bangladesh Football Federation is relentlessly trying its best to bring back the golden era of country’s top tier domestic football. In that case they need more support from the country’s football loving people so that the game can get its lost glory back.
