Title contenders Fortune Barishal will face Chattogram Challengers in the eliminated group of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T-20 at 1:30 p.m. at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka, on Monday.
In the day’s other match, defending Champions Comilla Victorians will commence Rangpur Riders in the playoff match at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue.
Fortune Barishal won their last outing against the Comilla Victorians by six wickets on Friday. With this win, Tamim Iqbal secured 14 points from 12 encounters and placed third in the points table. They won seven and lost five outings in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Chattogram Challengers secured 14 points from the same number of outings. They placed fourth on the table. Their net run rate is -0.414.
Fortune Barishal could not clinch the title so far and became runner-up three- times. Skipper Tamim Iqbal and his men expect to become champions this season. It is a very tough task for the team.
Tamim said, “We know the Chattogram Challengers are a strong team. So, we have to perform better on every side. There is no chance to take lightly the opponent.”
“From top to bottom, everyone must take responsibility to win the match. It is our doo-ordie match,” said the skipper.
Chattogram Challenger captain Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury said, “We will try our level best to win the match against Fortune Barishal. Our main target is to reach Qualifying 2 in the tournament.”
On the other hand, the Comilla Victorians secured 16 points from 12 outings and placed second in the table. They won eight and lost four outings in the ongoing tournament.
Comilla Victorians captain Litton Das said, “We lost to Fortune Barishal in the last encounter. It was a round-robin league match. But now we are in the knockout stage. If we make any mistake, the team will be out of the race.”
“We have to make a challenging score against Rangpur Riders. So, the toss would be a vital factor,” said Litton Das.