Bangladesh Premier League: Dynamites, Riders, Victorians eye playoff berths
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) resumes today after a one-day recess with Comilla Victorians playing lowly Khulna Titans in the first match of the day at 1:30pm at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
In the high-voltage 2nd match that will kick off at 6:30 pm, holders Rangpur Riders will encounter former champions Dhaka Dynamites aiming to consolidate their claim for the four-team playoff berths.
Dhaka Dynamites are enjoying the upper hand than Rangpur Riders and Comilla Victorians by virtue of better run rate despite of securing 10 points each from eight matches after league leader Chittagong Vikings, who bagged 12 points from nine matches.
The Dynamites won five of their first six matches but failed to maintain the good show in their last two matches as they lost both of them to Chittagong Vikings and Comilla Victorians by three wickets and seven runs respectively.
The reigning BPL champions, Rangpur Riders, made a frustrating start in the new season with a three-wicket defeat to Chittagong Vikings in the opening match.
However, they came out victorious in their second and third matches against Khulna Titans and Comilla Victorians, but suffered three successive losses against Dhaka Dynamites, Rajshahi Kings and Sylhet Sixers respectively.
The Riders, who were under threat to qualify for the playoffs, bounced back to keep their hope alive in the last three matches beating Sylhet Sixers, Khulna Titans and Chittagong Vikings successively.
Comilla Victorians are in number four in the points table with five wins in eight matches. They have experienced many ups and downs throughout the tournament.
They started with a win over Sylhet Sixers, but lost the following match to Rangpur Riders. Right after that, they won against Rajshahi Kings but suffered another loss to Chittagong Vikings. However, in the last four matches, they won three and kept their way afloat to the playoff round.
The other team which will play on Monday are Khulna Titans. Their presence in the tournament is now nothing but a formality. They have lost eight matches out of 10 and they are already out of the race as the first team of this season BPL.
Apart from the top four teams and Khulna Titans, there are two more teams – Rajshahi Kings and Sylhet Sixers, who have secured 10 and eight points respectively. Defending on many ifs, they also have the chance to qualify for the most attractive phase of BPL — playoffs.