Khulna depend on team-wise performance

Rangpur powerful top order can win the match

The Twenty20 blockbuster tournament of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will take up again with the fixture of the knockout stage just after a day break today. Khulna Titans will take on Rangpur Riders in the one-off eliminator match of the qualifying round at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) at 2:00pm.

Both Rangpur and Khulna faced off each other at the first round, whereby they have produced fifty-fifty result as Rangpur thrashed Khulna by 19 runs following Khulna’s nine-run victory over the former.

Khulna Titans, who were consistent since the initial stage, placed third conceding back-to-back losses to Comilla Victorians and Rangpur Riders at the fag end of the first round.

On the other hand, Rangpur Riders started their emergence after the advent of their marquee recruitments-Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. Finally they qualified for the knockout stage being routed the hot-favourites Dhaka Dynamites and Comilla Victorians.

Rangpur’s batting muscle is obviously better than Khulna but the former could not prove it much so far. Khulna on the other hand came out with the team-wise performance.

Both the teams won some matches by the performance of their local players. Mashrafe won two more matches with his dexterity, while Mahmudullah Riyad and Ariful Haque won for Titans.

The team, who win the match, will face the losing side of the Qualifier-1 in the Qualifier-2 on December 10. But the team, who lose the match, will be eliminated from the BPL competition.

Though Rangpur fielded their stalwart batsman Brendon McCullum, they kept Chris Gayle along with its captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in rest in their last match of the first round against Dhaka Dynamites to focus more on their must-win eliminator match.

Rangpur Riders’ players spent the day at hotel in rest not to come in Mirpur in practice, whilst Khulna Titans appeared in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ground with their full contingent to hold their pre-match day practice session.

The Titans, who are yet to lift any BPL trophy, practiced for a longer period at net. Bowlers bowled and batsmen batted under the vigil watch of the head coach Mahela Jayawardene.

Both the teams criticised the uneven bounce of the Mirpur slow track. For this, batsmen have to toil hard to make runs in such stroke-filled tournament. Titans bowling coach Alfonso Thomas shared the same sentiment, stating that batsmen have to perform adjusting with the slow wicket in Mirpur.

“It is really challenging for the batsmen to make runs on this sort of surface because the wicket in Mirpur is slow and the ball makes abruptly up and down,” said Alfonso Thomas.

“Batsmen have to play adopting with the wicket. A stiff challenge is waiting for us tomorrow though we are a balance team, which is formed by the young players. Every player tries to perform. Considering the wicket, we’ll form the playing XI for the must-win game,” the South Africa-born coach told.

Khulna depend on team-wise performance

Rangpur powerful top order can win the match

The Twenty20 blockbuster tournament of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will take up again with the fixture of the knockout stage just after a day break today. Khulna Titans will take on Rangpur Riders in the one-off eliminator match of the qualifying round at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) at 2:00pm. Both Rangpur and Khulna faced off each other at the first round, whereby they have produced fifty-fifty result as Rangpur thrashed Khulna by 19 runs following Khulnas nine-run victory over the former. Khulna Titans, who were consistent since the initial stage, placed third conceding back-to-back losses to Comilla Victorians and Rangpur Riders at the fag end of the first round. On the other hand, Rangpur Riders started their emergence after the advent of their marquee recruitments-Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. Finally they qualified for the knockout stage being routed the hot-favourites Dhaka Dynamites and Comilla Victorians. Rangpurs batting muscle is obviously better than Khulna but the former could not prove it much so far. Khulna on the other hand came out with the team-wise performance. Both the teams won some matches by the performance of their local players. Mashrafe won two more matches with his dexterity, while Mahmudullah Riyad and Ariful Haque won for Titans. The team, who win the match, will face the losing side of the Qualifier-1 in the Qualifier-2 on December 10. But the team, who lose the match, will be eliminated from the BPL competition. Though Rangpur fielded their stalwart batsman Brendon McCullum, they kept Chris Gayle along with its captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in rest in their last match of the first round against Dhaka Dynamites to focus more on their must-win eliminator match. Rangpur Riders players spent the day at hotel in rest not to come in Mirpur in practice, whilst Khulna Titans appeared in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ground with their full contingent to hold their pre-match day practice session. The Titans, who are yet to lift any BPL trophy, practiced for a longer period at net. Bowlers bowled and batsmen batted under the vigil watch of the head coach Mahela Jayawardene. Both the teams criticised the uneven bounce of the Mirpur slow track. For this, batsmen have to toil hard to make runs in such stroke-filled tournament. Titans bowling coach Alfonso Thomas shared the same sentiment, stating that batsmen have to perform adjusting with the slow wicket in Mirpur. It is really challenging for the batsmen to make runs on this sort of surface because the wicket in Mirpur is slow and the ball makes abruptly up and down, said Alfonso Thomas. Batsmen have to play adopting with the wicket. A stiff challenge is waiting for us tomorrow though we are a balance team, which is formed by the young players. Every player tries to perform. Considering the wicket, well form the playing XI for the must-win game, the South Africa-born coach told.