Rangur Riders trump Khulna Titans to seal top 4 spot
Well, well… now that was something we all wanted to see,
isn’t it? A jam-packed match that resembled a quick-action thriller movie with
a lot of twists… but somehow the ending wasn’t as pleasing as we hoped it would
be.
After a terribly one-sided affair earlier today, where
Chittagong Vikings were demolished by Sylhet Sixers, fans were hoping for a
clash that would get them to the edge of their seats… and they were perhaps left
with a bit of mixed feelings.
A Gayle storm was one the cards and when both him and the
former Kiwi captain, Brendon McCullum, shared the pitch, the trumpets were
blaring with skies turned red with fear… two of the best hitters in the game
have gotten the starts and now it was time to capitalize and wreck the
opponents.
Alas… it wasn’t to be. McCullum fell after a ray of light
and Gayle soon followed in his sight. Mithun, however, played a fantastic
innings and did what his seniors couldn’t after making 50 from 35 balls,
helping Rangpur Riders to a decent score of 147 from 20 overs.
For the Titans, Jofra Chioke Archer was the pick of the
bowlers with 2 wickets from his 4 overs while conceding 28 runs. Abu Jayed,
Shafiul Islam, Mohammad Irfan and Carlos Brathwaite took one wicket each.
In response, the Khulna Titans started off in the most brilliant
fashion, albeit by being on the slower side. The openers mounted 60 runs before
Nazmul Hossain Shanto was plucked for 20. Michael Klinger clung on for a while
before perishing for a slow-placed 44 from 45 balls.
After that, the Titans’ batting order fell like a house of
cards. Apart from the two openers and the West Indian, Jofra Chioke Archer,
none of the batsmen could reach double figures as Khulna faded to nihil for 128
runs.
This was possible due to some astute bowling by the Riders.
Even when Klinger and Shanto were stuck in the middle, Mashrafe and his men pressurized
them with their tight bowling. Sohag Gazi, Isuru Udana, Nahidul Islam and Nazmul
Islam took one wicket each while Ravi Bopara ended with astonishing figures of
2 wickets for 4 runs.
With this win, Rangpur seal the fate of the top 4 for this year’s Bangladesh Premier League – rendering the remaining group matches as obsolete. The final four teams of this year’s BPL will be: Comilla, Dhaka, Rangpur and Khulna.
Picture Courtesy : Getty Images
