Sylhet Strikers provided their fans with the ultimate Bashonti present by advancing to the final of this year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with a 19-run victory over Rangpur Riders on Tuesday in Mirpur.
The Strikers, led by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, will now face the Comilla Victorians in the final on February 16th. It will be the first time a Sylhet franchise will compete in the BPL final.
Rangpur needed 28 runs in the last over to chase down the target of 183. Rubel Hossain conceded two fours off the first two balls, but he made a comeback off the last three balls and ensured a win for the Strikers.
Before failing to score 28 runs in the last over, the Riders were going well. In the fourth-wicket partnership, Nurul Hasan Shohan and Rony kept the scorecard afloat. They scored 82 off 52 balls. The partnership was broken after a drama unfolded when Mushfiqur Rahim returned to the field.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was absent from the field at the start of the second innings. In his absence, Akbar Ali, a substitute fielder, kept wicket for the Strikers. However, when Mushfiqur returned to the field before the 17th over, the playing conditions required him to resume his role as the designated wicketkeeper of the Strikers. For unknown reasons, Mushfiqur was unable to take on this responsibility.
In this scenario, the Strikers had two options: either to give the gloves to Mushfiqur and replace Akbar or to choose someone from the playing XI to take on the role. The Strikers decided to entrust Zakir Hasan with the gloves. This drama caused a pause in the match that lasted several minutes.
In the meantime, Nurul and Rony lost momentum. Off the first ball of the 17th over, Sakib dismissed Nurul. In the same over, Rony was trapped run-out by Zakir. And the Riders never got the momentum back.
Dasun Shanaka and Mahedi Hasan, two batters who had the onus on them to get going for the Riders, failed, and eventually, the Riders tumbled for 163 for eight in 20 overs.
Luke Wood scalped three wickets for the Strikers, while Rubel and Sakib took two wickets each.
Read more: BPL 2023: Rangpur book last playoff spot beating Dhaka
Earlier, the Riders won the toss and sent the Strikers to bat first. The in-form Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto ensured a blistering first-wicket stand, scoring 65 off nine overs.
After Hridoy was sent back by Hasan Mahmud, Mashrafe surprised many by putting himself to bat at number three. He also displayed some old batting glimpses, scoring 28 off just 16 balls at an average of 175. Thisara Perera and George Linde also contributed well, scoring 21 each.
Hasan Mahmud and Dasun Shanaka took two wickets each. But their efforts were not enough to restrict the Strikers to a lower total.