The 2022 season of the Bangladesh Premier League will begin on January 21 (Friday). The final match of the eighth season of the BPL will be contested at the SBNCS in Mirpur on February 18 (Friday). The defending champion Rajshahi Royals and the 2017 champion Rangpur Riders will not compete this season, while the Barishal franchise has returned to the competition. This year's BPL will feature a total of six teams. Let's take a look at the BPL 2022 favorites, underdogs, and outsiders.

The Front Runners of BPL 2022

Based on their respective strengths, Cumilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal are the two front-runners in the upcoming T20 competition.

Cumilla Victorians: Cumilla are perhaps the best team in the competition, and their coach Mohammad Salauddin is one of the most successful in tournament history. Cumilla won the BPL 2016 under his guidance. Therefore, Salauddin will be expected to lead Cumilla to their third Championship. Cumilla can expect to capture the title in the eighth edition of the BPL final, thanks to the presence of Mustafizur, Liton, Imrul Kayes, and other notable T20 players from across the world.

Faf du Plessis (batter), Moeen Ali (all-rounder), Sunil Narine (all-rounder), Mustafizur Rahman (Left-arm pacer), Liton Das (batter)

Fortune Barishal: Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will lead the Fortune Barishal side in the forthcoming tournament. Barishal have featured some effective players in their lineup, all of whom have widespread T20 experience. The Universe Boss Chris Gayle and Danushka Gunathilaka are among them. Young Afghani off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be one of Barishal's main strike bowlers. Overall, the Barishal team has the right balance in their quest for the BPL 2022.

Shakib Al Hasan (all-rounder), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Off-spinner), Chris Gayle (batter), Danushka Gunathilaka (all-rounder), Alzarri Joseph (Pacer)

The Outsiders of BPL 2022

Dhaka and the Sylhet Sunrisers can be regarded as outsiders in the tournament.

Dhaka: Mahmudullah Riyad is the captain of Dhaka team. They also selected veteran Mashrafe Mortaza and Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal from the players' draft. However, Dhaka's squad lacks quality backup players, which might limit their chance to perform well in the later stages of the competition. Dhaka's key players must remain fit throughout the campaign in order to advance to the knockout stage.

Mahmudullah Riyad (all-rounder), Mashrafe Mortaza (bowler), Tamim Iqbal (batter), Rubel Hossain (pacer), Mohammad Shahzad (batter)

Sylhet Sunrisers: Sylhet Sunrisers will field some of Bangladesh's most well-known cricketers in the forthcoming BPL 2020 tournament. However, finding the right combination may be a huge challenge for the Sylhet side. Players like Taskin, Mithun Ali, and Ravi Bopara would be crucial for Sylhet in the later stages of the tournament. With their present lineup, Sylhet can only be regarded as an outsider to win the tournament.

Taskin Ahmed (pacer), Kesrick Williams (pacer), Ravi Bopara (all-rounder), Dinesh Chandimal (batter), Mosaddek Hossain (all-rounder)

The Underdogs of BPL 2022

The Khulna Tigers and Chattogram Challengers are the two underdogs of the forthcoming competition, based on the strength of their respective squads.

Khulna Tigers: Mr. dependable Mushfiqur Rahim will lead Khulna in this season's Bangladesh Premier League. Khulna don't have a big squad and as a result, they do not have enough quality players to put up a serious fight against stronger opponents. The success of Khulna's BPL 8 campaign will be determined by how they manage their team throughout the main tournament. They must devise a winning combination for a successful season. However, Khulna are one of the underdogs in this year's competition.

Mushfiqur Rahim (batter), Thisara Perera (all-rounder), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (batter), Soumya Sarkar (all-rounder, Farhad Reza (all-rounder)

Chattogram Challengers: Chattogram Challengers will field some of Bangladesh's rising superstars in the Bangladesh Premier League 2022. That's why everyone is interested in the Chattogram franchise. Will this youthful team be able to make it all the way to the final? From a realistic point of view, this Chattogram squad can't be regarded as one of the favorites, given the team lacks experience. However, they will be one of the most intriguing teams to watch in the forthcoming BPL 2022.

Nasum Ahmed (left-arm spinner), Benny Howell (all-rounder), Afif Hossain (all-rounder), Shoriful Islam (pacer), Chadwick Walton (wicket-keeper, batter)

Verdict

After a short assessment of the teams' strengths to determine the tournament's favorites, underdogs, and outsiders, it is evident that the Cumilla Victorians have the best team among the participants. Cumilla Victorians along with Shakib Al Hasan's Fortune Barishal will be the hot favorites this season. Both Dhaka and Sylhet have several national stars in their teams, but neither Chattogram nor Khulna have strong squads. Therefore, Dhaka and Sylhet Sunrisers have an outside chance of winning the BPL 2022. On the other hand, Chattogram and Khulna have some young players in their squads. Both sides will need to find a suitable combination in order to fight hard against the stronger opponents. Hopefully, the best team in the competition will take home the championship.