The 11th and final round of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League will begin today at different venues with most of the stakes already decided in the lone 50-over domestic competition of the country.
The top six teams will contest the Super League phase while the bottom three sides will play each other once to determine which of the two among the trio will be relegated.
Table-toppers Prime Bank (18 points) and second-placed Abahani (16 points) have already confirmed their participation in the Super League. The remaining four places will be decided from these five teams - Kalabagan Cricket Academy (14 points), Prime Doleshwar (12 points), Legends of Rupganj (12 points), Mohammedan (12 points) and Victoria (12 points).
As far as the relegation fight is concerned, Kalabagan Krira Chakra (4 points), Partex (4 points) and bottom side Old DOHS (zero points) already know that two among them will go down.
In today’s matches, Kalabagan KC will take on Mohammedan in Fatullah, holders Rupganj will face Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in Mirpur while Prime Doleshwar will encounter Partex in Savar.
In tomorrow’s matches, Abahani will go head-to-head with Prime Bank in Fatullah, Brothers Union will lock horns with Old DOHS in Mirpur while Kalabagan CA will clash with Victoria in Savar.
Heading into the final round of matches, Abahani opener Liton Kumar Das tops the highest run-scorers chart with 568 runs in 10 matches at an average of 56.80. Recently called up to the 30-man preliminary Bangladesh squad for next year’s ICC World Cup in Australia-New Zealand, Liton will be looking to continue making merry of the opposition bowlers in order to stake his claim in the final 15-member squad that will be announced on January 7 next year.
National discards Shamsur Rahman and Nasir Hossain have fared well and will be eyeing more solid performances in the upcoming matches that will be vitally important to catch the attention of the national selection panel. Shamsur has scored 392 runs in 10 matches for Kalabagan KC at 39.20 while Nasir has accumulated 268 runs in nine matches for Abahani at 44.67.
Meanwhile in the bowlers’ list, Asif Hasan of Brothers Union features at the very top of the highest wicket-takers chart. Asif has taken 25 wickets in 10 matches for the Oranjes at 13.28. Prime Doleshwar’s Elias Sunny and Kalabagan KC’s Abdur Razzak, who were both named in the preliminary squad, has scalped 19 and 15 wickets respectively.