ZACS decked out

If there was any doubt about regional loyalties in the Bangladesh Premier League, the first day of the Chittagong leg debunked it as the port city fans turned up in full force to cheer their team, even though the home team had not done much to write home about in the BPL before yesterday.

The locals were vociferous in their support for Chittagong Vikings, currently at the bottom of the table, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS).

Mannan, a cricket enthusiast and a diehard Vikings and Luke Ronchi fan, expressed his support for the team. "Vikings will of course win today. We will make them win."

Their zeal proved impenetrable when the second match began. A gallery full of spectators turned their smartphones into fireflies as the batsmen hit the Sylhet Sixers pretty hard.

Another Vikings fan, Javed said that he would not come to the stadium for the rest of the tournament if his team did not beat the Sixers.

The crowd was comparatively timid during the day's first game between Rangpur Riders and Khulna Titans. Most fans seemed to support Rangpur but at the end they stayed in their seats in hopes of seeing their home team win against the Sixers.

The performances of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's team and the stars in his side – such as the big-hitting Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum -- were attraction enough for thousands gather despite the huge queues outside.

When McCullum enchanted the gallery with his cutting-edge fielding, causing the fall of Mahmudullah Riyad, the audience broke out into a wild cheer.

But a little later, a disappointed man named Mohammad Kashem was seen leaving the gallery. The reason? Gayle was out.

By the end of the match, spectators agreed that it was the superb bowling of Junaid Khan that cost Rangpur the match, a sentiment echoed after the game by Rangpur's Nahidul Islam, who nearly won the match for his team.

It had all reached a crescendo in the last over, off which Rangpur needed 15. Soon however, the enthusiasm turned into woe as dusk descended, but the night ended in triumph for Chittagong, so one can expect a similarly festive atmosphere throughout the rest of the leg.