After Rejaur Rahman Raja scalped four wickets Najmul Shanto hit an unbeaten 43 runs to power the Sylhet Strikers to a thrashing eight-wicket win over the Chattogram Challengers in the opening game of the ninth edition of Bangladesh Premier League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday.

Raja claimed 4-14, and his Pakistani teammate Mohammad Amir finished with two wickets to restrict Chattogram to a meager 89-9 in the stipulated overs.

Later, with Shanto standing on 43 off 41 balls and Zakir Hasan making a 21-ball 27, the side reached 90-2 in 12.3 overs.

Afif Hossain was the pick among the Chattogram batsmen, scoring a 23-ball 25.

Sent to bat, Chattogram made a frustrating start as they lost their top three batsmen inside the powerplay for a wobbling 22-3.

Al-Amin and Afif Hossain shared a 22-ball stand in the fourth wicket stand to limit the early damage, but the pair couldn't sustain the momentum and were eventually able to manage a slim total.

In reply, Sylhet also couldn’t make a decent start as they lost their opener, Collin Ackerman, for a single that lowered them to 12-1 in 2.2 overs.

However, in the following stand, Shanto and his partner Zakir Hasan combined for a crucial 63 off 45 balls to put the side on the verge of victory before the latter was removed by Sri Lankan Malinda Pushpakumara.

Then, in the third wicket stand, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shanto added another 15 runs to seal the tournament's first victory.