Shamima Sultana headlined the start of the Women's National Cricket League T20 with an unbeaten 87, as Sylhet won against Mymensingh at BKSP Ground-3 in Savar, Dhaka on Saturday.

Sylhet posted 138 for one, with Shamima hitting six fours and five sixes during her unbeaten 87, while Sharmin Supta scored a 40-ball 35. In reply, Mymensingh struggled early, losing Ishma Tanjim for 21 and Farzana Akter. Off-spinner Jannatul Ferdus Sumona bagged three wickets for 23 runs, as Mymensingh reached 120 for seven, losing by 18 runs.

In the afternoon match at the same venue, Dilara Dolara hit 78 off 44, laced with seven fours and five sixes, as Khulna posted 141 for eight against Barishal, with spinner Rabeya Khan taking three scalps for just seven runs. Farzana Haque's 39-ball 49 and Sadia Akter's unbeaten 24-ball 38 helped Barishal to a five-wicket win with nine deliveries to spare.

Rangpur won in a low-scoring affair against Rajshahi by 11 runs at BKSP Ground-4. Despite number three Sobhana Mostary's unbeaten 45-ball 51, Rangpur struggled to 98 for eight in 20 overs, with Boby Khatun taking three wickets for 12 runs. Rajshahi's response was poor as opener Sarmin Sultana could not capitalise on a start, falling for 25, while Sumaiya hit a slow 18 off 30.

Needing 20 runs off the last two overs, Rajshahi managed to reach 87 for six. Medium-pacer Shorifa Khatun bagged two wickets for 14 for Rangpur.

At the same ground, Chattogram won by 20 runs against Dhaka in the morning. Rubya Haider Jhilik failed to fire, falling for five, while Eka Mollik's 14 and Taj Nehar's 21 helped Chattogram to 81 for six. Left-arm spinner Mehrun Nesa bagged three for five runs, while skipper Fahima Khatun scalped two, as Dhaka managed just 61 for nine.

The tournament, which runs until November 17, is expected to serve as crucial preparation for the national team ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Nepal next January. Each team will play the others once – seven in total after which the team the league leaders will be adjudged the winners.

However, concerns have emerged among players regarding the tight scheduling and organisation of the event. Speaking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity before the competition began, one of the participating cricketers expressed frustration over what they described as an unnecessarily compressed fixture list and a loosely arranged tournament that will do little to ramp up preparations.

"If you're going to squeeze so many games into nine days, then there is no point in arranging tournaments in such a rushed manner," the player said. "Even the Dhaka Premier League was organised like that, and it couldn't provide proper playing conditions or adequate preparation for us."

Sylhet 138-1 (20 overs) – Shamima Sultana 87*, Sharmin Supta 35;

Mymensingh 120-7 (20 overs) – Ishma Tanjim 21; Jannatul Ferdus Sumona 3-23

Result: Sylhet won by 18 runs.

Khulna 141-8 (20 overs) – Dilara Dolara 78; Rabeya Khan 3-7

Barishal 145-5 (18.3 overs) – Farzana Haque 49

Result: Barishal won by 5 wickets.

Rangpur 98/8 (20 overs) – Sobhana Mostary 51*; Boby Khatun 3-12

Rajshahi 87-6 (20 overs) – Sarmin Sultana 25; Shorifa Khatun 2-14

Result: Rangpur won by 11 runs.

Chattogram 81-6 (20 overs) – Taj Nehar 21; Mehrun Nesa 3-5

Dhaka 61-9 (20 overs)

Result: Chattogram won by 20 runs.