In the BPL, Dhaka Capitals lost all four of their matches, while Rangpur Riders continued their unstoppable run with a fifth consecutive victory.
Nahid Rana’s first over saw four wides, a 10-ball over, and a pace of less than 140 km/h. His weariness was evident, but despite the frustration of the first over, he found a way to be effective. He, along with others, delivered excellent bowling, and Dhaka, who had struggled from the start of the tournament, faltered further.
Dhaka made six changes in their lineup, hoping for something new, but their performance worsened. Rangpur handed the new franchise their fourth consecutive defeat, securing their fifth win in a row.
On Tuesday in the BPL, Rangpur Riders defeated Dhaka Capitals by 7 wickets.
At Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Dhaka’s innings ended at just 111 runs, the lowest total in this year’s BPL. Rangpur won with 40 balls to spare.
Dhaka’s Six Changes
Coach Khaled Mahmud confirmed three changes the day before. But Dhaka made three additional changes. From the previous match, Dhaka dropped Steven Eskinazi, Shahadat Hossain, Shuvam Ranjan, Chaturanga de Silva, Nazmul Islam Apu, and Abu Zayed Chowdhury. Jason Roy, Sabbir Rahman, and Mosaddek Hossain came in for their first match of the tournament, while Habibur Rahman Sohani, Mukidul Islam, and Amir Hamza Hotak returned to the squad.
Dhaka’s Hopefuls
With the many changes, Dhaka’s batting order was also shuffled. Jason Roy, who had just arrived in Sylhet that morning, opened with Habibur. Dhaka scored 12 runs in Nahid’s second over, and Habibur hit two fours off Mohammad Saifuddin in the next over. Dhaka had raised 28 runs in three overs.
The Cost of Over-Aggression
Habibur, showing brief flashes of hope, was dismissed in his usual aggressive style. T20 batting is not just about slogging, a lesson he has yet to learn. Trying to slog, he was bowled out by Rangpur’s Pakistani pacer Akif Javed. Over the next few overs, wickets continued to fall, although runs were still being scored. Saif hit three fours off Tanzeed in one over, and Roy greeted Sheikh Mehedi Hasan with a four and a six.
However, Sheikh Mehedi had the last laugh, dismissing Roy (12 off 18 balls) with a skidding delivery. The next over saw Iftikhar Ahmed hit a six before Tanzeed was bowled out off the very next ball (16 off 20 balls).
Falling Behind
Despite losing three wickets, Dhaka’s run rate was still around 9. Liton Das and Sabbir Rahman had the chance to build the innings but failed, as did the others. Liton was moved down to No. 4 for the first time since December 2016 but couldn’t break his poor form, caught off Nahid’s short ball after scoring just 9 off 13 balls. Sabbir, after almost two years of not playing T20s, managed only 2 runs from 7 balls.
Thilakaratne Dilshan, who had played brilliantly in the last match, was caught off Khushdil Shah’s harmless short ball on the first ball for just 20. Dhaka had lost 5 wickets within 20 runs.
No Lower Order Fight
No one in Dhaka’s lower order could provide any resistance, and their innings ended 21 balls before the allotted 20 overs.
Nahid’s Three Wickets, Support from Others
Despite looking tired from playing five matches in 9 days, Nahid Rana bowled superbly, taking three wickets. His pace was low for most deliveries, but his precision made him the most successful bowler. Akif Javed, who had been expensive in the last match, bowled tightly, taking two wickets, while Khushdil Shah also took two.
Rangpur’s bowlers provided strong support to Naheed.
Rangpur’s Easy Win
The outcome of the match was pretty much decided after Dhaka’s innings. Rangpur’s chase wasn’t explosive, with only Alex Hales standing out. The rest of the team didn’t have much trouble achieving the target.
Bangladesh U-19 captain Azizul Hakim, who had a nervous start, finally got off the mark but was dismissed for 5 off 14 balls. Saif Hasan couldn’t make much of an impact either, scoring 13 off 15 balls.
However, Hales was in fine form, scoring 44 runs off 27 balls. Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah finished the job, with Khushdil remaining unbeaten on 27 off 13 balls.
Match Summary:
Dhaka Capitals (16.3 overs, 111): Habibur 14, Roy 18, Tanzeed 20, Liton 9, Sabbir 3, Thilakaratne 0, Mosaddek 12, Alaudin 16, Hamza 0, Mukidul 2*, Mustafiz 1.
Rangpur Riders (13.2 overs, 113/1): Azizul 5, Hales 44, Saif 13, Iftikhar 13*, Khushdil 27*.
Result: Rangpur Riders won by 7 wickets.
Man of the Match: Nahid Rana.
