The Bangladesh Premier League’s sixth edition is returning to Dhaka Monday and the two matches at Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium will be pivotal as the top four sides will be involved in strengthen their respective position in the points table.
In the evening match Monday, the tournament’s top side Dhaka Dynamites, who have gleaned 10 points from six matches, will face second-placed Chittagong Vikings, who have eight points from five games.
So, the result of the match will decide who will stay on top of the table.
Dhaka’s wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan expressed confidence they can continue the momentum.
“Every team are competitive in BPL. The team which play better on the day win in T20. We hope we can continue our momentum of winning. Good performance will bring good result. Every one of us is performing well. Local and foreign players are doing well in their respective positions. They will continue the same way in future,” said Nurul Sunday during practice.
But he is also aware of the Vikings’ strengths, and especially hailed his senior, national team’s stumper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim.
@khulnatitans suffered their sixth defeat in this season’s @BCBtigers Premier League as they lost against @CtgVikings by 26 runs at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Saturday.https://t.co/StAwqa9Ql5#KT #CHV #BPL #BPLT20 #T20 #KHULNATITANS #CHITTAGONGVIKINGS #KHULNA #TITANS
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 19, 2019
“Vikings are a good side. They are batting and fielding well. The team which will do their job as per demand will win [Monday]. Mushfiq bhai is in good form. They are performing well in every game,” said Nurul.
Although Sohan sang praises of Mushfiq, he admitted he follows the likes of India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni and former Australian skipper Adam Gilchrist.
“I always enjoy keeping. Sometimes I perform well sometimes not so much but I will try to give my 100%. I have discussed with Dhoni a few times. I see his videos. I used to follow Gilchrist in his playing days. I observe YouTube to understand which will suit me. That is the main thing. To me the most important thing is the practice. One can come back from a bad patch through practice,” he added.
Although the second match of the day will feature the two top teams, the first will also be crucial as third-placed Comilla Victorians, who have eight points from six games, take on Rajshahi Kings, the team which have six points from seven games.
So, the match will be crucial for the spots in the top-four.
Rajshahi’s experienced batsman Marshall Ayub, who played a crucial 45-run innings against Sylhet Sixers in Wednesday’s match, his first BPL outing since 2018, said their target will be to take revenge against Comilla.
@ridersofhope secured a vital win against home side @SYLSixers in their @Official_BPLT20 match at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Saturday.https://t.co/upFbiKa4Iz#RANGPURRIDERS #SYLHETSIXERS #RR #SS #RANGPUR #RIDERS #SYLHET #SIXERS #BPLT20 #BPL #T20 #BCBTIGERS #BCB #TIGERS
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 19, 2019
He thinks their side were inspired by beating the Dynamites in their last game.
“When you beat a top team of the tournament, the state of your side transforms in itself. We are feeling the same. Our next match is against big side Comilla. We must fight back, we lost a match against them, and our main target will accomplish revenge,” said the 30-year old Marshall.
He is also of the opinion that pacer Mustafizur Rahman will be their trump card on Mirpur pitches.
But Comilla all-rounder Ziaur Rahman said they have a strong outfit and that their batsmen are in good form to tackle Mustafizur.
“Overall our team are very good. I thank the team management for forming such a beautiful team. We lost two games before winning four. Our confidence has increased after winning the last match. We will try to play after fulfilling our lacking. Hopefully Lewis [Evin] has become fit again. He is in a good position now,” said Ziaur.
“Of course Mustafizur is a good bowler but all our batsmen are in form. It is an important thing. Hopefully they will handle Mustafizur well,” he concluded.
