In the second qualifier in Dhaka, Sylhet Strikers defeated Rangpur Riders by 19 runs to go to their first BPL final. On February 16, they will compete against the Comilla Victorians, three-time champions and last season’s winners.
However, Riders may have easily played in the championship. Riders were moving quickly towards the 183-run mark thanks to an 82-run partnership between Rony Talukdar and their captain Nurul Hasan, but Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s game-changing 18th over decided the outcome of the match.
When Mushfiqur Rahim returned to the field, the strikers took additional time to decide who would keep the wickets, and Nurul appeared stressed. After the delay, the Riders captain missed the opening pitch and was subsequently seen yelling at someone as he turned around to leave.
Later in the over, Rony went after being too careless to return to the crease. Zakir Hasan, the replacement gloveman, took a direct blow from Rony and was run out for 66.
After that, Luke Wood, another late addition to the BPL, bowled a double-wicket 19th over for Strikers that only cost three runs. Mahedi Hasan was caught behind by the left-arm Wood, and the ensuing deep ball was grabbed by Dwayne Bravo.
Dasun Shanaka hit Rubel Hossain for two fours in the final over, but it was a little too late as Rubel got the skipper of Sri Lanka out with the next ball to end the game.
When Sakib caught the chase’s opening batsman lbw in the second over, Riders had already lost Sam Billings. Billings believed he had gone too far down the pitch for the call to be correct, but replays proved otherwise. In the fifth over of the elimination match against Fortune Barishal, Riders player of the match Shamim Hossain smashed a few boundaries off Rubel.
But when Wood dismissed Nicholas Pooran in the ninth over, Strikers gained the upper hand. Before holing out in the deep leg-side boundary, Pooran hit him for ten runs off the previous two deliveries. He scored 30 off 14 balls, including four and four sixes. After that, Rony’s innings gave the Riders hope, but the Strikers held onto their lead in the end, so it wasn’t to be.
Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto, the Strikers’ opening pair, provided them a rock-solid start earlier with a 65-run opening stand. With a 30-ball 40 that included five fours and a six, Shanto controlled the stand, although he disagreed with the Riders’ lbw determination made using the DRS, which took the place of the ADRS from the league stage.
Hridoy hit two fours and a six in his 25 while Mashrafe Mortaza, the Strikers captain, who was given a promotion for the second straight game, hit three fours and a six in his 28 off 16 deliveries. Thisara Perera and George Linde gave the Strikers a final push in the slog overs that brought them to 182, but Zakir Hasan, Ryan Burl, and Mushfiqur were unable to continue.