Rangpur Riders added three stars to their squad, but they still couldn’t secure a win, while Khulna Tigers advanced one step closer to the final with a stunning victory, eliminating the title contenders.
Before the match, Rangpur’s assistant coach Shahriar Nafees had warned that making too many last-minute changes to the playing XI could disrupt the team’s rhythm. Ironically, Rangpur chose to follow that route, and his fears turned into reality. In an attempt to accommodate new arrivals like Andre Russell, James Vince, and Tim David, they dropped Iftikhar Ahmed, the team’s highest run-scorer of the season. Unfortunately, none of the new stars managed to deliver, and Rangpur produced their worst performance of the season.
Khulna, on the other hand, had added Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder to their squad, but it was the brilliant performances of local players like Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, and Mohammad Naim Sheikh that carried them to victory, as they advanced toward the final.
In the BPL Eliminator, Khulna Tigers crushed Rangpur Riders by 9 wickets, securing a spot in the second qualifier.
Rangpur, who had qualified for the playoffs with eight wins in the first half of the season, seemed unstoppable at one point. However, they suffered a five-match losing streak to be eliminated from the tournament.
Batting first at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium on Monday, Rangpur collapsed for just 85 runs. Although the pitch was a little slow, it was still a good batting track. Rangpur’s batting crumbled under pressure from Khulna’s spinners. Only Akif Javed’s cameo innings saved them from an even worse collapse. Captain Nurul Hasan Sohan and Akif put up a 55-run stand, but the rest of the team could only muster 30 runs, including extras. This was the lowest team total in BPL’s semi-final or playoff history.
Khulna’s spin duo, Miraz and Nasum, were instrumental in dominating the Rangpur lineup, each taking three wickets.
Khulna chased down the target in just 10.2 overs, with Naim Sheikh leading the way.
Rangpur’s collapse started right from the first over, with Soumya Sarkar run out in the second ball due to a misunderstanding with James Vince. The wickets kept falling as Miraz and Nasum wreaked havoc, with Rangpur losing wickets consistently. They could only manage two fours in the powerplay and finished at 5 wickets for 19 runs in six overs.
The new signings, David and Russell, also failed to deliver. David was dismissed for just 7 runs, and Russell could only manage 4 runs before being bowled out. Sohan tried to hold the innings together but was dismissed by Miraz. By the time Rangpur’s score read 9 wickets for 52 runs, their chances were all but over.
Akif Javed, the season’s top bowler for Rangpur, fought back with some excellent batting, scoring 32 runs from 18 balls, including four fours and two sixes. He was supported by Nahid Rana, who remained unbeaten on 9 runs.
In the chase, Khulna lost Miraz early, but Naim and Alex Ross made sure there was no further drama. Naim remained unbeaten on 48 from 33 balls, while Ross supported him with an unbeaten 29 from 27 balls. Naim’s knock helped him surpass Tanjid Hasan’s 485 runs and take the top spot in the season’s run chart (492).
From the brink of elimination, Khulna has now won three consecutive matches and are just one step away from the final.
Match Summary:
- Rangpur Riders: 85 all out in 16.5 overs (Vince 1, Soumya 0, Saif Hassan 4, Mehedi 1, Saif Uddin 8, Sohan 23, David 7, Russell 4, Raqibul 1, Akif 32, Nahid 0*; Miraz 4-0-10-3, Nasum 4-1-16-3, Nawaz 4-0-21-1, Hasan 3-0-18-1, Holder 1-0-11-0, Mushfiq 0.5-0-8-1).
- Khulna Tigers: 89/1 in 10.2 overs (Miraz 0, Naim 48*, Ross 29*; Akif 3-0-20-1, Nahid 4-0-21-0, Mehedi 1-0-19-0, Russell 1-0-14-0, Raqibul 1.2-0-13-0).
Result: Khulna Tigers won by 9 wickets.
Player of the Match: Nasum Ahmed.
