The stage is all set for the glittering final of the Bangladesh Premier League’s sixth season as Comilla Victorians face Dhaka Dynamites in pursuit of glory in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Dhaka and Comilla, two of the strongest teams in the competition on paper, will battle for the crown and it will be a battle of the all-rounders.
Both teams have produced some exciting cricket throughout the tournament and are now waiting to conquer the final hurdle and claim glory.
Dhaka have Shakib al Hasan, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine in their ranks, and all of them are world-class performers in this format.
Shakib is currently sharing the leading wicket-takers’ tally in the competiting with Rangpur Riders’ Mashrafe bin Mortaza, and Dhaka’s camp will hope their captain will rise to the occasion once again.
Dhaka also included English opener Luke Wright before the Eliminator but he hasn’t featured yet for the Dynamites.
Sri Lankan opening batsman Upul Tharanga played the last three matches for Dhaka, and made valuable contributions in two games.
Whether Dhaka will go with a specialist opener or add another all-rounder, Wright, in their playing XI will be taken prior to the match after judging the pitch and conditions.
Explosive Russell powers Dynamites to final https://t.co/DTvELknDwK
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) February 6, 2019
An all-round performance from #AndreRussell helped #DhakaDynamites defeat #RangpurRiders by five wickets.
On the other hand Comilla also have in-form all-rounders in their side in the shape of the experienced duo Shahid Afridi and Thisara Perera.
Local all-rounder Saifuddin is also in good form and it will be a good competition between the two sets of all-rounders.
Both teams have strong batting line-ups with capable tail-enders and it is expected to be a great contest between bat and ball.
Comilla have opted for opener Evin Lewis, Perera, Afridi and pacer Wahab Riaz in their last few matches and this combination is also likely to be deployed in the grand finale.
The Victorians had a practice session at the Academy Ground in Mirpur yesterday, while Dhaka had a day off from training on the eve of the final.
It will also be a battle for two local coaches - Dhaka coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon and Comilla’s Mohammad Salahuddin – as they target more glory in their coaching career.
#Lewis punches #Comilla’s ticket to #BPL final https://t.co/air4b9MmaP
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) February 4, 2019
Salahuddin won the BPL 3 with Comilla, while Mahmud clinched BPL 4 with Dhaka.
Both coaches now have the opportunity to seal another trophy for their franchise.
This is the first BPL final for Tamim Iqbal and a feisty contest can be expected between him and Shakib – two of Bangladesh’s finest cricketers.
The toss could be important since it’s an evening match, and the winning captain could decide to field first considering the dew factor at night.
The match starts at 7pm local time.
Dhaka Dynamites’ key all-rounders
Shakib al Hasan - The joint highest wicket-taker in BPL 6 with 22 wickets at an average of 16.4 and economy of 6.94.
He has also scored 298 runs at a strike rate of 114.17.
Andre Russell – He has scored 295 runs at an impressive strike rate of 156.91 and average of 36.87 and also chipped in with 14 wickets.
Sunil Narine – He has taken 18 wickets at an excellent economy of 6.5 and also scored 279 runs at a strike rate of 143.07.
Comilla Victorians’ key all-rounders
Saifuddin – He has taken 18 wickets at an average of 17.66 with a career-best bowling figure of 4/22.
Although he hasn’t scored big in the tournament, he is more than capable with the bat and provides useful runs lower down the order.
Shahid Afridi – He has taken 16 wickets with a fantastic economy of 5.85, and also scored 141 runs at a strike rate of 136.89.
Thisara Perera – He has scored 151 runs at an excellent strike rate of 206.84 and took five wickets so far.
