BPL 2019: 5 best batting performances in the first phase of the tournament

The sixth season of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has passed its first phase successfully. Dhaka Dynamites, the current runners-up, have won all four matches they have played in the first phase of the league in Dhaka. And thereafter, they are at the top of the points table.

Chittagong Vikings, who finished the last BPL back in 2017 at the bottom of the table, have prevailed in three matches out four they have played. The Vikings are at number two in the points table.

Khulna Titans were the only team in the first phase of BPL who failed to manage a win in four matches. While the current champions Rangpur Riders, Comilla Victorians and Rajshahi Kings won two matches each, Sylhet Sixers managed to win just a single encounter.

Let us have a look back to the first 14 matches of BPL's sixth season and see the best five batting performances.

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#5 Thisara Perera (74* off 26 against Chittagong Vikings)

Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera stunned BPL spectators in his first match of BPL 6 hitting an explosive fifty

Thisara Perera came to play BPL just after representing his country in three ODIs and one T20I against New Zeland. In his last three ODIs, Perea scored 4, 140 and 80 respectively. The Lankan all-rounder brought his golden form to BPL as well. He is playing the new season of BPL for Comilla Victorians.

In his first match of the season, Perera scored unbeaten 74 off 26 balls with eight sixes to his name. He played the innings at a time when the Victorians were struggling at 86 for five wickets. The Lankan all-rounder propelled Comilla to a challenging total of 184, but they lost the match by four wickets to Chittagong Vikings.

#4 Mushfiqur Rahim (75 off 41 against Comilla Victorians)

Mushfiqur Rahim is one of the most successful batsmen in BPL

The former Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is always considered as the best T20 batsman of the Tigers. But the right-handed batsman failed to prove his T20 prowess in the first three matches of ongoing BPL for the Chittagong Vikings. In the first match of the season, he scored 25, and in the second and third outing for the Vikings, he posted 5 and 34 runs.

Rahim finally contributed with a match-winning knock of 75 off 41 on January 13 against Comilla Victorians with seven fours and four sixes. In the process, he overshadowed Thisara Perera's unbeaten 74 to win the game for the Vikings.

With the fifty, Rahim became the only third local batsman after Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Ronly Talukdar to record a fifty in the ongoing BPL.

#3 Rilee Rossouw (76* off 52 against Khulna Titans)

Rilee Rossouw knocked a brilliant inning against the Titans in BPL

Rilee Rossouw, the 29-year-old South African batsman, is playing the sixth season BPL for the defending champions Rangpur Riders. The left-handed opener started the BPL with a lean performance of scoring only seven runs in the first match against Chittagong Vikings on the opening day of the tournament.

In his team's second match of the season, Rossouw smashed 76 against Khulna Titans. His well-timed fifty helped the Riders register their first win of the season.

The southpaw hit eight fours and two sixes in his first fifty in BPL, and he carried the bat in the match. While hitting the fifty, Rilee made a 104-stand with Englishman Ravi Bopara in the fourth wicket stand that guided the Riders to post a challenging total of 169 runs in the unpredictable Dhaka wicket.

#2 Hazratullah Zazai (78 off 48 against Rajshahi Kings)

Afghan batsman Hazratullah Zazai hit two fifties in his first two matches of BPL

Hazratullah Zazai, the 20-year-old Afghanistan batsman, has played only two ODIs and three T20Is for his country. He has proved his batting ability during the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League (APL) last year.

The Afghan southpaw impressed the spectators of BPL in his first two appearances when he hit two consecutive half-centuries for the former BPL champions Dhaka Dynamites. He hit 78 in his BPL debut against Rajshahi Kings at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

During his innings, he hit seven sixes and four fours. He opened the innings for Dhaka with their West Indian recruit Sunil Narine. The explosive-duo added 116 runs in 10.4 over in the opening stand that helped the Dhaka win the game by a big margin of 83 runs.

#1 Rilee Rossouw (83 off 44 against Dhaka Dynamites)

Rilee Rossouw hit the highest individual score in the first week of BPL 6

In the first week of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Rilee Rossouw struck 83 off 44 balls against Dhaka Dynamites. Scoring these runs on a difficult Dhaka wicket, Rossouw proved that he can score runs in T20 cricket in any part of the world.

In the first innings of the match, Dhaka Dynamites posted 183 on the board. While replying to Dhaka's total, Rilee Rossouw hit 83 batting at number three. He cleared the ropes four times in the innings.

However, the defending champions of BPL could not win the game as Aliss Al Islam, a newcomer off-spinner, took four wickets including a hat-trick. Dhaka won the game by two runs.