Combined XI based on BPL's top performers

The third season of the Bangladesh Premier League ended with the Comilla Victorians emerging victorious in a pulsating summit clash against the Barisal Bulls. The tournament featured six completely new franchises after all the previous ones from the 2012 and 2013 editions were scrapped.There were some outstanding performances with both bat and ball in the BPL this year from seasoned campaigners as well as a few newbies. We pick a combined XI based on some of the top performers in the 2015 season:

#1 Tamim Iqbal (Chittagong Vikings)

Bangladesh’s star batsman Tamim Iqbal scored a lot of runs in the 2015 BPL

Easily the best batsman to come out of Bangladesh thus far, Tamim Iqbal had a terrific BPL season with the bat. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the franchise he was representing as the Chittagong Vikings ended the tournament at the bottom of the table.

The southpaw had an impressive tally of 298 runs from just 9 games at an average of above 37, which is superb as per T20 standards. He got scores of 67 not out and 69 in the only two victories registered by his team, both against Sylhet Super Stars.

#2 Imrul Kayes (Comilla Victorians)

Imrul Kayes played a crucial role in Comilla Victorians’ success

Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner in the Bangladesh cricket team, Imrul Kayes makes the cut as the second opener of our BPL XI. His contributions were critical to the title triumph of his team, Comilla Victorians. Kayes’ two best knocks of 67 and 53 came in the two most important games for the Victorians, their qualifier and the final.

The left-handed batsman ended the tournament as the 2nd highest run scorer with 312 runs in 12 matches.

#3 Kumar Sangakkara (Dhaka Dynamites)

Kumar Sangakkara top scored in the 2015 BPL season

The retired Sri Lankan legend just doesn’t seem to get tired of scoring runs. No wonder he ended up being the top run scorer in the 2015 season of the Bangladesh Premier League. However, his efforts could not take the Dhaka Dynamites to the title as they crashed out in the eliminator at the hands of the eventual runners-up Barisal Bulls.

Sangakkara makes it to our BPL XI as wicketkeeper and top order batsman. Not only was the legendary southpaw the highest run scorer with 349 runs, he also topped the list for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper with 13 of them in the tournament.

#4 Mahmudullah (Barisal Bulls)

The Bangladeshi allrounder was one of his team’s heroes in the BPL

The skipper of the tournament runners-up, Barisal Bulls, was one of their better players in the tournament. Mahmudullah scored a critical half-century in Barisal’s very first match of the BPL against Rangpur Riders, rescuing his side from 15 for 4 and putting them on track for a 13-run victory.

He played another similar knock in a match against Chittagong Vikings where he took the Bulls from 63 for 5 to a match-winning total of 170. Mahmudullah also did a fine job as captain for his team.

#5 Jahurul Islam (Rangpur Riders)

Jahurul Islam was among the most improved performers of the tournament

Despite struggling in the initial phase of the tournament, Rangpur Riders batsman Jahurul Islam peaked at the right moment as he played a major hand in propelling his team to 2nd position on the points table. His 62 not out in his team’s final league match against eventual champions Comilla Victorians helped them make it to Qualifier 1.

Jahurul accumulated 205 runs in the 2015 BPL at an impressive average of 41 and was easily the most improved batsman in the tournament.

#6 Ashar Zaidi (Comilla Victorians)

Ashar Zaidi was the man of the tournament at the 2015 BPL

The seasoned Pakistani first-class cricketer Ashar Zaidi was easily the best allrounder of the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League. A left-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spinner, Zaidi stood out with a tally of 215 runs at a staggering average of 53.75 and 17 wickets at 10.41.

Not only did the allrounder score his runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 138 plus, but he was also miserly with the ball with an economy of under 5. Rightfully so, he was declared the Player of the Tournament for his exploits for the champion side, Comilla Victorians.

#7 Shakib Al Hasan (Rangpur Riders)

Shakib was among the highest wicket-takers in the series

Shakib makes it to our BPL XI as lead spinner after having a rich tournament with the ball in hand. The left-arm spinner bagged 18 wickets in the 11 games he played for Rangpur Riders with a best of 4 for 16 in a match against Dhaka Dynamites.

Shakib Al Hasan was one of the driving forces behind his team reaching the final four of the tournament. However, he did disappoint with the bat as he could only muster 136 runs at a none too great average of 17.

#8 Mashrafe Mortaza (Comilla Victorians)

Mortaza was the successful skipper of the Comilla Victorians

The skipper of champions Comilla Victorians is also the captain of our BPL XI – Mashrafe Mortaza. A staggering fact about the Bangladesh allrounder is that he has been captain of the winning team of all 3 editions of the Bangladesh Premier League, the previous two having been won with Dhaka Gladiators.

Even though it was not the best of tournaments for Mortaza with either bat or ball, he did come up with some crucial performances. His 56 from 32 deliveries against Chittagong Vikings helped the Victorians win their first match in the 2015 BPL.

#9 Kevon Cooper (Barisal Bulls)

Cooper was the best bowler of the tournament

West Indian Kevon Cooper ended the 2015 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League as the leading wicket taker with 22 wickets and therefore, he makes it to our BPL XI. Cooper came up with some stellar performances for the Barisal Bulls and played an important hand in helping them reach the final.

His 5 for 15 against the Rangpur Riders were the best figures recorded in this year’s BPL. Cooper also claimed a handy 4-wicket haul in Qualifier 2 of the tournament which saw Barisal qualify for the final.

#10 Mohammad Amir (Chittagong Vikings)

Amir made an inspirational comeback to mainstream cricket

It was never going to be easy for Mohammad Amir to make a comeback after all that has transpired in his young career so far. However, he managed to put it all aside and emerged as one of the best bowlers of the 2015 BPL. His very first match saw him pick up 4 for 30, albeit in a losing cause, dismissing the likes of Misbah and Thisara Perera.

Amir picked up 14 wickets in 9 games and had a fantastic ecomony of around 5 and a half. Even though his team did quite badly in the tournament, Mohammad Amir surely announced his comeback to the big league.

#11 Abu Hider (Comilla Victorians)

Young Hider was the find of the tournament at the 2015 BPL

One of the chief architects of the Comilla Victorians’ success in the 2015 BPL was young left-arm medium pacer Abu Hider. 21 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 15.04 meant that he finished as the second highest wicket taker of the tournament. His exploits are sure to put him on course to a call up to the Bangladesh national team.

Hider’s 4 for 19 in Qualifier 1 helped the Victorians get a direct ticket to the final of the Bangladesh Premier League.