Abahani completed a three-peat of the Dhaka Premier League with a commanding six-wicket victory over rivals Mohammedan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday.

However, for the team that have now won the title six times since the tournament gained List A status from the 2013–14 edition and 24 times overall, this triumph came against a number of challenges.

A majority of the country's top cricketers had been featuring for Abahani, contributing to their firm grasp on the title in recent years. Even in the previous season, Abahani had national stars Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Afif Hossain, Mohammad Naim, Tanzim Sakib, and Shoriful Islam in their ranks.

With the DPL being played under a reduced budget, Abahani, which also went through a number of changes following a change in the country's political landscape, lost a number of the high-profile players, with a few even joining Mohammedan this season.

A few players stayed, such as Mosaddek Hossain and national team skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto. Mosaddek ended up as the joint top-wicket taker, alongside teammate Rakibul Hasan, with 30 wickets. In a match-winning performance, the all-rounder bagged two wickets in the final to help restrict Mohammedan to 240 for seven before smashing an unbeaten 65-ball 78 to see Abahani cruise over the line.

"This is special, as many things have changed. There were many challenges in front of us, and becoming champions is a huge thing. Our first target was to avoid relegation, and when we started winning, our expectation increased," Mosaddek, who amassed 487 runs this tournament, said after lifting the trophy.

While teams like Mohammedan were struggling with injuries and players leaving for national duty, a young Abahani side managed things better.

It was not just players who had to adjust. Abahani head coach Hannan Sarkar, who took over a side in DPL for the first time, said his players had a fire within themselves that led to the outcome.

"Cricketers came here with some discontent. I won't name them, but some players were contracted with other clubs. But at the last moment, those teams rejected them. So there was some fire within them. As circumstances forced them to play for Abahani under reduced payments, they wanted to prove themselves," Hannan said.

Abahani's 22-year-old opener, Parvez Hossain Emon, became the second-highest run-getter with 798 runs, while the 20-year-old Jishan Alam, who smashed a fifty yesterday, managed 400 runs with an attacking flair. Also, experienced campaigner Mohammad Mithun was an assured presence in the middle order, finishing with an unbeaten 79-ball 66 in the final.

"There were some young players who wanted to prove themselves and play for the HP squad or the Bangladesh A team. Ultimately, apart from winning the title with Abahani, they were also trying to establish themselves through performances. So there were players with more hunger," Hannan praised the young guns of his side.

More than the performances on the field, the tournament, however, came under the spotlight more for the wrong reasons -- with Mohammedan skipper Towhid Hridoy's suspension saga that dragged on for days the main highlight.

It was perhaps inevitable that such a tournament also ended with chaos in the last game -- this time due to Mohammedan veteran Mahmudullah Riyad, who hopped onto the stands to confront a fan who had reportedly criticised the team.