Dhaka Dynamites went to the top of the table after comprehensively defeating the Rangpur Riders by 42 runs at Mirpur in Match-34 of the Bangladesh Premier League. In his very first innings of the competition, West Indies opener Evin Lewis scored a spectacular 75 off just 34 deliveries to bag the Man of the Match award.
After the Dynamites skipper Shakib Al Hasan elected to bat first, the team was off to a flying start. While Lewis was smashing the Riders bowling attack, targeting the leg-side boundary, in particular, Mehedi Maruf assisted well with calculated risks but at the same time, ticking the scoreboard with some aggressive intent. Both the openers took the team’s total to 100 within ten overs before Maruf was trapped lbw by Soumya Sarkar.
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Soon, number 3 Seekkuge Prasanna followed suit before Lewis was dismissed for 75, smashing eight sixes and three boundaries. The remainder of the Dynamites batting couldn’t offer much with chippings from skipper Shakib Al Hasan, Dwayne Bravo, and Mosaddek Hossein taking the team’s total to 188 for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs. For the Riders, Rubel Hossain was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 25 in his four overs while Ziaur Rahman and Soumya Sarkar bagged two wickets apiece.
In reply, the Riders were never in the game with 23-year old Abu Jayed and captain Shakib Al Hasan leaving the Riders reeling at 46 for 6 before Ziaur Rahman and Sohag Gazi put on 87 for the seventh wicket with Rahman scoring a well-made 60 off 43 balls and Gazi racking up 36 off 26 deliveries. Their partnership made the outing a little less embarrassing for the Riders who eventually fell 42 runs short, ending their innings at 146 for 8 in 20 overs.
While the Dynamites are top with seven wins and three losses and assured a semi-final berth, the Riders now stand fifth in the table with five wins and as many losses. The Dynamites will take on second-placed Chittagong Vikings in what is expected to be an exciting encounter at Dhaka on Friday while the Riders take on seventh-placed Barisal Bulls at Mirpur on Saturday to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
Brief Scores: Dhaka Dynamites – 188 for 7 in 20 overs (Lewis – 75, Maruf – 40, Rubel Hossain – 25/3); Rangpur Riders – 146 for 8 in 20 overs (Ziaur Rahman – 60, Sohag Gazi – 36, Abu Jayed – 20/3, Shakib Al Hasan – 11/2).
Result: Dhaka Dynamites win by 42 runs.
Samuels, Shehzad steer Victorians to victory against Rajshahi Kings
After losing six consecutive matches on the trot, reigning champs Comilla Victorians registered their third consecutive victory by defeating the Rajshahi Kings by eight wickets at Mirpur and in the process, ending their four-match winning streak. 20-year old medium pacer Mohammad Saifuddin was the Victorians’ star with the ball, taking three wickets for only 12 runs in three overs and was subsequently adjudged the Man of the Match.
With the bat, Ahmed Shehzad made a composed innings of 46 before Marlon Samuels played an excellent knock of 55 off 41 deliveries to take the Victorians home with eight balls to spare.
Rajshahi Kings skipper Darren Sammy opted to bat first on winning the toss and openers Mominul Haque and Nurul Hasan gave the Kings a steady start before both were dismissed by Rashid Khan and Mashrafe Mortaza respectively. From there, the Kings kept on losing wickets and were tottering at 78 for 7. New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin, who is known for getting runs down the order, came to the rescue for the Kings and made 44 of 31 deliveries to help the team reach 124 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Barring Shahadat Hossain, all the other bowlers of the Kings went for 6 runs or below an over. In reply, the defending champions began slowly and soon lost Imrul Kayes in the fourth over before Marlon Samuels joined Ahmed Shehzad at the crease.
The duo took calculated risks but kept the scoreboard ticking as the Victorians inched closer to the target. Shehzad was eventually dismissed for a patient 45-ball innings of 46 that included four boundaries and a six. Khalid Latif then came on to join Samuels and both of them took the Victorians past the finish line with eight balls to spare. Samuels ended with a well-made 55 off 41 deliveries that included two boundaries and four sixes.
Despite the defeat, the Rajshahi Kings remain at fourth position in the table with five wins and as many losses and are well in contention for a place in the semi-finals while the Comilla Victorians move up to seventh position with three wins and seven losses but with no hope of reaching the final four. They now take on third placed Khulna Titans in Mirpur on Friday while the Rajshahi Kings take on bottom placed Barisal Bulls tomorrow at Mirpur to better their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Brief Scores: Rajshahi Kings – 124 for 7 in 20 overs (Franklin – 44*, Saifuddin – 12/3, Mortaza – 24/2); Comilla Victorians – 125 for 2 in 18.4 overs (Samuels – 55*, Shehzad – 46, Farhad Reza – 14/1)
Result: Comilla Victorians win by eight wickets
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