Moeen Ali’s all-round heroics helped the Sylhet Titans secure a crucial 20-run victory over the Dhaka Titans in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League at the Sylhet International Stadium on Thursday.

Asked to bat first, Sylhet posted a competitive 180 for six in 20 overs before restricting Dhaka to 160 for eight. It was Sylhet’s fourth win from eight matches, while Dhaka’s fourth defeat in six outings left them in a tricky position on the points table.

Chasing the target, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Abdullah Al Mamun gave Dhaka a brisk start, adding 56 in 5.4 overs before Abdullah was dismissed for 24 off 11 balls. But Dhaka then lost wickets in clusters, denting their chase. They lost three wickets for 11 runs in the space of 18 balls, including Shamim, who was caught on the boundary by Ethan Brookes off Moeen’s bowling.

Gurbaz, who made 51 off 44 balls with three fours and two sixes, added 37 off 24 balls with Saif Hassan to keep Dhaka in the hunt. However, another collapse followed as Dhaka slumped from 104 for three to 113 for six in just 11 balls. The dismissals of Gurbaz and Saif (22 off 14) pushed them to the brink.

Salman Irshad led Sylhet’s bowling with figures of three for 25, while Moeen returned two for 20 from his four overs.

Earlier, Parvez Hossain gave Sylhet a solid start, and Ariful Islam and Azmatullah Omarzai provided momentum in the middle before Moeen’s late onslaught lifted them to their third 180-plus total of the season.

Parvez and Tawfique Khan (17 off 21) added 48 in the powerplay, but Dhaka clawed back as Sylhet slipped to 72 for three in the 12th over. Ariful (38 off 29) and Omarzai (33 off 23) then put on 62 from 37 balls to rebuild.

Moeen then took charge, smashing 28 off just eight deliveries with two fours and three sixes. Ethan Brookes and Mehidy Hasan Miraz also chipped in with a six each in the final over as Sylhet finished strongly, scoring 88 runs in the last six overs despite a quiet two-run over in between.