BPL 2023: The 9th season of the Bangladesh Premier League is all set to begin on January 6, 2023. The match will see Chattogram Challengers lock horns with Sylhet Strikers at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka. Unlike the last season, this one will see seven teams competing to be the BPL champions. The Comilla Victorians will defend their title in the upcoming season.
One of the consistent and unlucky BPL teams, the Chattogram Challengers, will once again enter the competition in search of their maiden BPL title. Chattogram represents the city of Chattogram, which made its BPL debut in 2012. Although they played in the final of the BPL 2013 season, they lost to the Dhaka Gladiators. Previously, the franchise was known as the Chittagong Kings and Chittagong Vikings.
Chattogram Challengers Squad 2023
Chattogram Challengers have announced their squads for the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Former English batter Julian Wood is the head coach of the team. Afif Hossain will be leading the team, which has some good overseas players. Notably, this team also has an Indian player, Unmukt Chand, in their squad.
Speaking of the team, Chattogram has mainly invested in good all-rounders. Irish all-rounder who had a brilliant T20 World Cup 2022, Curtis Campher is also part of the team. Apart from him, Shuvagata Hom and Towfiq Khan are also among the players who can win games in both departments. The batting department has the likes of Sri Lankan batter Ashan Priyanjan, Pakistani batter Usman Khan, and Netherlands star Max O’Dowd, who was among the highest run scorers in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
CC BPL Players List: Afif Hossain (C), Vishwa Fernando, Ashan Priyanjan, Curtis Campher, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Shuvagata Hom, Mehedi Hasan, Rana Irfan, Shukkur Mehedi Maruf, Max O’Dowd, Unmukt Chand, Ziaur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Abu Jayed, Farhad Reza, Towfiq Khan
Vishwa Fernando (Sri Lanka) and Shahnawaz Dahani (Pakistan) are the two overseas quicks in the team. But despite a few big names in the bowling department, the Chattogram Challengers have some Bangladeshi-capped players in the team. Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Ziaur Rahman, and Taijul Islam are part of the strong bowling trio. Overall, this team is a bowling-heavy one, and that will be their main strength.
Chattogram Challengers Highest Score in BPL
Chattogram Challengers Lowest Score in BPL
Star performer from the last season
Chattogram Challengers finished the last season of the BPL in third place. They played 10 games and won five and lost five overall. However, a few batters, including skipper Afif Hossain, performed admirably in the last season. In fact, Will Jacks was the top scorer of the tournament.
| Batter | Mts | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Jacks | 11 | 414 | 92* | 41.40 | 155.05 | 5 |
| Afif Hossain* | 12 | 232 | 44 | 193.33 | 116.58 | 0 |
| Banny Howell | 12 | 207 | 41* | 25.87 | 154.47 | 0 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 12 | 207 | 44 | 18.81 | 111.89 | 0 |
| Shamim Hossain | 10 | 164 | 52 | 16.40 | 117.14 | 1 |
Top Bowlers from the last season
Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers from the Chattogram Challengers, who ended the last season as the highest wicket-takers.
| Bowler | Mts | Wkts | BBI | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustafizur Rahman | 11 | 19 | 5/27 | 6.62 |
| Tanvir Islam | 12 | 16 | 2/19 | 7.65 |
| Shohidul Islam | 8 | 14 | 3/25 | 9.00 |
| Moeen Ali | 8 | 9 | 3/20 | 7.25 |
| Abu Hider | 5 | 4 | 3/19 | 9.46 |