Victoria also gained momentum as they handed a three-wicket defeat to bottom-table and defending two-time champions Old DOHS in the other second-round match.

ABAHANI-BIMAN
A depleted Abahani, who have three key players on national duty and a few more injured, failed to defend 248-9 at the BKSP ground as Farhad Reza's 127 off 106 balls drove Biman to 250-3 with near four overs to spare.

Farhad, who was recalled to the national one-day side but could not play as the third and final match against India was washed out, recovered from seasonal fever to guide Biman with an explosive innings featuring five fours and 11 sixes.

Rokibul Hasan was dismissed for eight but opener Nafis Iqbal (85 off 119) and man-of-the-match Farhad put on 172 runs for the second wicket to ease the pressure. Both the batsmen were dismissed by Abahani spinner Nazmus Sadat.

With only three specialist batsmen available, Abahani had to include an unfamiliar face Istiak Jamil to make their eleven. New ball bowler Ziaur Rahman opened the innings and smashed 20 off 18 overs but that was not enough to avoid their only second defeat in 12 games.

One-down Nazimuddin topscored with 97 from 125 balls before being run out while Sri Lankan international all-rounder Upul Chandana notched back-to-back fifties (57 off 47 balls) to raise hopes of building a bigger Abahani total but medium pacer Mushfiqur Rahman topped and tailed to dash the chances with figures of 4-37.

SONARGAON-MOHAMMEDAN
Mohammedan also suffered with leading players busy in the Test series as they were shot out for a paltry 162 with Sahagir Hossain making highest 38.

Alok Kapali, who bowled a tight spell of leg-break to take 1-26, led Sonargaon's chase with 57 not out off 81 deliveries as the last year's runners-up reached 163-4 with just over seven overs to spare at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

VICTORIA-DOHS
In absence of Akram Khan, Khaled Mahmud led Old DOHS who managed 239 before being booked at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium. Kenyan ace Steve Tikolo made only nine but half-centuries by Ehsanul Haque (75) and Nadif Chowdhury (50) helped them partly survive Pakistani spinner Jaffar Quraishi's devastating spell of 4-36 and an equally combative 4-30 by off-spinner Mustakim.

Quraishi, adjudged man-of-the-match, then hit 33 not out to steer Victoria to 241-7 after opener Imrul Kayes (50), Mahmudullah Riyad (49) and Hasanuzzaman Rosel (40) salvaged the side from a precarious 86-4.