Bashundhara Kings emerge new champions

Bashundhara Kings emerged new champions in their first appearance in the country’s prestigious soccer meet 11th Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2018-19 while Dhaka Abahani Limited finished runners up and Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited finished third.
This year, 13 clubs took in the double-leg (home and away) league. Total of 156 matches, split into 26 rounds, held from January 18 to August 3 at country’s six different venues -- Bangabandhu National Stadium, Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium, Sheikh Kamal Stadium, Sylhet District Stadium, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Stadium in Gopalganj and Shaheed Bulu Stadium in Noakhali.
Bashundhara Kings and NoFeL Sporting Club got promoted from Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) 2017 as champions and runners-up to the league.
Champions Bashundhara secured 63 points from with 20 wins, 3 draws and one defeat while Runners up Dhaka Abahani Limited earned 58 points with 19 wins, one draws and 4 defeats and third-placed Sheikh Russel KC finished collected 52 points with 16 wins, 4 draws and 4 defeats. Among others, Saif Sporting Club finished fourth with 47 points, Arambagh Krira Sangha fifth with 33 points, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited sixth with 28 points, Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra seventh with 26 points, Chittagong Abahani Limited eigth with 25 points, Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited ninth with 25 points, Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society tenth with 22 points and Brothers Union Limited eleventh with 21 points.
Two teams -- Team BJMC and NoFeL Sporting Club relegated to the lower division Bangladesh Championship League (BCL). NoFeL SC finished twelfth with 20 points and BJMC thirteenth with 11 points.
Nigerian Striker of Sheikh Russel Raphael Odovin Onwrebe became the top scorer in the league scoring 22 goals while his compatriot Sunday Chizoba of Dhaka Abahani Ltd became ruuners-up scoring 20 goals.
Among others, national-colored foreard and Dhaka Abahani’s key player Nabib Newaj Ziban finished third scoring 16 goals, Brazilian forward of Bashundhara Marcos Vinicius finished fourth scoring 14 goals, Congolese striker of Rahamatganj MFS Siyo Zunapio Jeancy finished fifth scoring 13 goals.
Striker Raphael Odovin Onwrebe of Sheikh Russel KC, Guinean striker of NoFeL SC Ismael Bangoura bagged two hat-tricks each in the league while Sunday Chizoba and Nabib Newaj Jibon of Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Ballo Famoussa of Muktijoddha SKC, Zahid Hossain and Matthew Chinedu of Arambagh KS, Motin Mia of Bashundhara Kings claimed one hat-trick each during the BPL.
Anisur Rahman Zico of Bashundhara clinched the highest number of clean sheet 12, Ashraful Islam Rana of Sheikh Russel KC finished second claiming 11 clean sheet.
Arambagh beat Rahmatganj by 6-3 goals in a high-scoring match at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on July 20.
Bashundhara clinched the biggest margin of win at home as they crushed Brothers Union by 5-0 goals at Sheikh Kamal Stadium in Nilphamari on July 16 while Sheikh Russel KC secured the biggest margin of win at away 6-1 goals against Muktijoddha at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Stadium in Gopalganj on July 24.