Dhaka: Fortune Barishal’s head coach Mizanur Rahman Babul believes star batter Towhid Hridoy will be able to break his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final jinx when his side takes on Chittagong Kings tomorrow to retain the title at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. This will be Hridoy’s fourth straight final in the BPL, but in the past three editions, he failed to touch the golden trophy.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the jinx began in 2022 when Hridoy was part of Fortune Barishal, but his side lost the final to Comilla Victorians. In the next season, Hridoy was the top performer for Sylhet Strikers, and his performance helped the side move to the final, but they lost to Comilla Victorians. In 2024, Hridoy was part of Comilla Victorians, which gave him nightmares in the past two seasons, but this time Comilla lost to Fortune Barishal. Now, he is with Fortune Barishal, who will face off against Chittagong Kings, who are out to seal their maiden title.
“We always had faith in Tawhid Hridoy. When we took him, he was one of the best batters in Bangladesh. That’s the reason we chose him,” Babul said after Barishal’s practice session. Hridoy’s performance, however, was not as good as he was in the last three seasons with different franchises. But he returned to form when it mattered most by hitting a 56-ball 82 not out, an innings which helped Barishal win the Qualifier-1 against Chittagong Kings by nine wickets.
“He had a hunger for runs from the beginning. From what we have seen, he always wants to score runs. We tried to back him as much as possible. And also, we tried from our side to ensure that he doesn’t get demoralized or anything like that,” Babul said. “Hridoy figured out how to score runs on his own initiative. We tried to give him mental support on and off the field.”