DHAKA: Chris Gayle hoisted Rangpur Riders to their maiden Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title, his unbeaten 146 leading them to a 57-run win in the final against Dhaka Dynamites here Tuesday. Dhaka, the defending champions and favourites ahead of the final, were brought down to earth by relentless six-hitting from Rangpur’s batsmen, 21 in all, in front of a packed Mirpur crowd. Gayle’s innings ticked what was possibly the only remaining blank box in his T20 checklist – a century in a tournament final. He broke two of his own records, smashing 18 sixes to go past the mark of 17 he set during the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL), and going past his 126 not out from the first qualifier, played four days ago, to make the highest score in the BPL, 146 not out. He also became the first batsman to score five BPL hundreds. The final as a contest was over in the fourth over of Dhaka’s reply when Mashrafe Mortaza, playing his fourth BPL final, ran 25 yards towards the long-on boundary to complete the catch that sent back Evin Lewis. The rest of the game was, frankly, just a wait for Rangpur to start the party, and for their owners to shower gifts on their players. Gayle and Brendon McCullum, the pair billed as the biggest attraction in this year’s BPL, picked the perfect moment for their combined onslaught. They put on an unbroken 201 for the second wicket, the biggest partnership in the BPL. Shakib frustrates Charles: Shakib Al Hasan began brilliantly for Dhaka, keeping Johnson Charles, who was fresh from scoring his maiden T20 century, quiet in the second over. After four dot balls, three of which Charles tried to hit out of the park, Charles popped one meekly back to the bowler off the leading edge. Dhaka had drawn first blood with only five runs on the board. The second-wicket pair initially took things slowly before Gayle hit Mosaddek Hossain for three sixes in the sixth over. After the first one, though, Dhaka could have dismissed Gayle when he drilled one straight to Shakib at cover. He spilled the chance, though. Gayle was on 22 at that point. It did not take too long for Shakib to realise he had made a grave error. Gayle and McCullum was always going to go after Khaled Ahmed, the young uncapped pace bowler. Gayle crunches into crucial spells: Dhaka’s spin attack was always going to test Rangpur, and with Shahid Afridi and Sunil Narine bowling well in their first few overs, there was some hope that they could pull things back. No chance. Mayhem all the way: Gayle went into overdrive in the last five overs, which produced 75 runs. This despite Narine only conceding two off the 17th over, in which Gayle brought up his hundred. Kieron Pollard went for 24 in the 18th over, with McCullum depositing his slower one over wide long-on and Gayle smiting him over midwicket and long-on. Gayle hit two straight sixes in the 19th over, in which Khaled conceded 21. In the last over, McCullum took a single off the first ball and let Gayle take over against Shakib, who was bowling only his third over. Dhaka offer no fight: Dhaka’s reply became of academic interest once Shakib’s dismissal for 26 left them five down inside the ninth over. Mehedi Maruf had fallen in the first over, lbw to Mashrafe, and Joe Denly and Lewis followed soon after. Rubel had Pollard offering a catch to Gayle at short fine-leg, before Shakib and Jahurul added 42 runs for the fifth wicket. Jahurul reached his sixth fifty, the only bright note in Dhaka’s innings. Brief scores: Rangpur Riders 206 for 1 (Chris Gayle 146 not out, Brendon McCullum 51 not out) beat Dhaka Dynamites 149 for 9 (Jahurul 50, Nazmul 2-8) by 57 runs. Published in Daily Times, December 13th 2017.