The cricket extravaganza continues with the 28th match of the Bangladesh T20 League. On 31 December, cricket fans will witness a thrilling encounter between Rajshahi Royals vs. Rangpur Riders and this face-off marks the last match of the tournament of this year. Hopefully, this match will give never-seen-before experience, ending 2019 on an exciting note. The match will begin tonight at 6 PM in the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
While Rajshahi Royals have registered victory in five out of seven matches they have played so far, Rangpur Riders have won two out of seven matches. The Royals have secured fourth position on the points table with 10 points at an impressive net run rate (NRR) of + 1.269, whereas the Riders are languishing at the bottom two (6th spot) with 4 points and NRR of -1.935. The Royals suffered a major los to Dhaka Platoon in their previous match, but they have been a terrific form in this edition of the league. With the likes of Liton Das, Shoaib Malik, and Andre Russell, their batting line-up is quite strong. Being the top-performer for the Royals, Shoaib Malik has scored 217 runs from 6 innings at an average of close to 55. Liton Das and Afif Hossain have stockpiled 211 and 190 runs respectively. Mohammad Irfan, Farhad Reza, Alok Kapali and Afif Hossain are some of the prominent names of their bowling force.
On the other hand, Rangpur Riders are struggling with their current form, despite having players like Mohammad Naim and Lewis Gregory, who have exhibited a tremendous performance. Naim has been the highest run-getter for the team with 176 runs from 6 innings and Lewis Gregory amassed 164 runs at a strike rate of over 150. Among the bowlers, the Riders have Mustafizur Rahman and Cameron Delport to lead the bowling attack.
Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
The temperature is hovering around 22 degree Celsius. The weather is expected to be a bit cloudy, however, there are no chances of rain to interrupt the game during the evening hours. The pitch at the stadium is slow to start, so chasing down big targets will be a difficult task. Fast bowlers and spinners are expected to use cutter and make the most of the powerplay overs.
Head to Head
|
Teams |
Total Matches Played |
Matches Won |
Matches Lost |
|
Rajshahi Royals |
7 |
5 |
2 |
|
Rangpur Rangers |
7 |
2 |
5 |
Probable Playing XI
Rajshahi Royals – Liton Das (wk), Afif Hossain, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Andre Russell (c), Alok Kapali, Irfan Sukkur, Nahidul Islam, Farhad Reza, Mohammad Irfan, Taijul Islam
Rangpur Rangers – Shane Watson (c), Mohammad Nabi, Jahurul Islam (wk), Lewis Gregory, Cameron Delport, Mustafizur Rahman, Shadman Islam, Sanjit Saha, Fazle Mahmud, Mukidul Islam, Mohammad Naim
Key Players
Rajshahi Royals
Shoaib Malik
Liton Das
Rangpur Rangers
Mustafizur Rahman
Mohammad Naim
