The 2025-26 Bangladesh Premier League begins with Sylhet Titans facing Rajshahi Warriors at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday, 26 December.
Sylhet had a poor previous campaign, finishing bottom with two wins from 12 games, and they want to reach the top four this time. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is expected to captain them after scoring 355 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 133 and taking 13 wickets last season. Zakir Hasan was their most consistent batter with 389 runs in 12 innings at an average close to 36 and a strike rate of 141. Rony Talukdar, Mominul Haque and Saim Ayub should add stability, Moeen Ali offers late power, and Mohammad Amir, Ruyel Miah, Azmatullah Omarzai and Nasum Ahmed form the bowling group.
Rajshahi finished fifth last year with six wins and six defeats and have made some squad changes. Najmul Hossain Shanto takes over as captain, bringing more than 3,700 T20 runs, while Mushfiqur Rahim has over 6,000. Yasir Ali scored 336 runs at an average of 30.5 and a strike rate of 153 last season, and Akbar Ali supports in the middle order. Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Ripon Mondol lead the pace options, with Mohammad Nawaz and Sandeep Lamichhane as the spinners.
Our preview expects an early swing for the quicks, a slower surface later and a first-innings score of around 160 to 170.
