For the 2nd time in the 2023 BPL, (Bangladesh Premier League) the Sylhet Strikers have lost. This time, they were defeated by the Rangpur Riders by 6 wickets. This match was the first time the two teams had gone against each other, and it was an overall close game.
The Rangpur Riders had won the toss and opted to bowl. The bowlers showed a brilliant performance by dismissing seven batsmen for single-digit scores. In 20 overs, the Riders managed to stop the Sylhert Strikers for 92/9. Among the bowlers that managed to limit the Strikers’ bowlers, Azmatullah and Hasan Mahmud picked up 3 wickets apiece.
While the Strikers had several of their batters dismissed, Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and Tanzim Hasan Sakib helped the team cross the 90-run mark with a combined score of 62 runs. Aside from the duo, the highest that the Strikers’ batters managed to hit was 9 runs by Nazmul Hossain Shanto.
When the Riders stepped up to bat, however, their performance was not as strong. Only one of their batters managed to score above 20 runs and that was Rony Talukdar, who scored 41 runs. Other than this, the Riders’ batters, Mohammad Naim and Mohammad Nawaz scored 18 runs each.
The Strikers’ managed to make the Riders struggle at the bat and took four wickets, but with a low target to chase the Riders eventually crossed the target with four overs to spare. Among the Strikers’ bowlers, Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets. Aside from Mortaza, Mohammad Amir and Rejaur Rahman Raja took one wicket apiece.
While the Rangpur Riders had won by a narrow margin, the Sylhet Strikers are still at the top of the points table with six wins from seven matches. Currently, the Rangpur Riders are 4th in the standings with four wins from seven matches.
After going against the Sylhet Strikers, the Rangpur Riders will be playing against the Dhaka Dominators (Minister Group Dhaka) for the 29th match of the BPL on January 30. It will be the first time that the two face each other in the tournament. Currently, the Dhaka Dominators are 7th in the standings with four points and a net run rate of -1.029.
The Sylhet Strikers will be playing against the Khulna Tigers on the same day for the 30th match of the tournament. This match will also be the first time the two teams will face each other in the 2023 BPL. So far, the Khulna Tigers have had more losses than wins and are in 5th in the standings.
The most recent match in the 2023 BPL was between the Chattogram Challengers and the Sylhet Strikers. The Strikers had won the game by seven wickets with twelve balls remaining.
The league stages will be going on until February 10. Once the top four teams are determined, they will go against each other in the playoffs, which will be on February 12. Following the playoffs will be the semi-finals on February 14, then the finals on February 16.