Competitive DPL hots up ahead of final round

The first phase of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2017-2018 season has entered its business stage. In what promises to be an exciting finish, three Super League places are up for grabs with as many as six teams still in contention ahead of the 11th and final round. League leader Abahani Limited will play against newcomer Shinepukur Cricket Club at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Cricket Stadium in Fatullah Sunday. At one stage, Abahani were cruising towards the title by winning seven of their first eight matches. But two consecutive losses for the Sky Blues blew the title race wide open and now, second placed Legends are Rupganj are joint top with 14 points. Rupganj are lying second in the 12-team points table due to inferior net run rate. They will face Agrani Bank Cricket Club Tuesday. Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club, sitting third in the standing with 13 points, have already secured their place in the Super Six. They will face Gazi Group Cricketers at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka Sunday. The next six positions in the points table are quite interesting as three teams can still qualify for the Super Six. Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity are in a better position among these teams as they have 12 points from 10 matches. Khelaghar will face Prime Bank Cricket Club at BKSP 3 Sunday. Khelaghar can still qualify in spite of defeat. In that case, their net run rate must be superior to that of their competitors.

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Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Prime Bank, Gazi Group and Shinepukur all have 10 points and they must win their respective matches to qualify for the next round. As far as Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited are concerned, even a huge win cannot ensure their participation in the Super Six. Mohammedan have only nine points after 10 games. So Mohammedan have to win and depend on results elsewhere. The Black and Whites might even have to play the relegation league if they lose to Kalabagan Krira Chakra in their last match and Brothers Union win their final game against Sheikh Jamal. Among all these teams, Agrani Bank and Kalabagan are guaranteed to play in the relegation playoffs as they have only six and four points respectively. There are many calculations awaiting the teams in the 11th round of the country’s most prestigious 50-over tournament. This season’s DPL has brought a lot of competition, which can only be good for Bangladesh cricket.SUNDAY'S MATCHESAbahani v Shinepukur, FatullahGazi Group v Doleshwar, MirpurPrime Bank v Khelaghar, BKSPTUESDAY'S MATCHESRupganj v Agrani Bank, MirpurMohammedan v Kalabagan, BKSP 3Sk Jamal v Brothers, FatullahAll the games will start at 9am POINTS TABLETeams M W L Pts NRRAbahani 10 7 3 14 0.766Rupganj 10 7 3 14 0.5Doleshwar 10 6 3 13 -0.049Khelaghar 10 6 4 12 -0.2Shinepukur 10 5 5 10 0.263Sk Jamal 10 5 5 10 0.109Prime Bank 10 5 5 10 0.108Gazi Group 10 5 5 10 -0.128Mohammedan 10 4 5 9 -0.088Brothers 10 4 6 8 -0.115Agrani Bank 10 3 7 6 -0.411Kalabagan 10 2 8 4 -0.715