Fortune Barishal and Comilla Victorians are all set to lock their horns in the final of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Friday.   Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Barishal, and Bangladesh’s best known all-rounders has a great opportunity to guide his team to the maiden title. He has won the BPL title on a number of occasions previously for several teams.  Shakib was not present in the last practice session ahead of the final. Sources close to Barishal said that Shakib was suffering from “stomach ache”. However, Shakib was not available to clear why he was not present at the last practice session. Instead of him, Nurul Hasan Sohan was seen in the trophy unveiling event. Khaled Mahmud, the most successful coach of BPL, is confident about the good show of Shakib once again in the final.  “Our only target is to win the title,” Mahmud told the media on Thursday. “We played really tough cricket to come to this stage. We are confident of lifting the title. And as a captain, Shakib has been doing very well. He has been leading from the front. When the captain plays well, everything becomes easier.” Shakib has scored 277 runs and scalped 15 wickets for Barishal so far. No other Barishal batter scored more than him, and Dwayne Bravo has taken only two more wickets than Shakib.  This stat is enough to prove how dependent are Barisal on the southpaw. Even the coach of Barishal’s final opponent Comilla Victorians, Mohammed Salahuddin, also believes that they have to play against the ‘brain” of Shakib in the final.  Read: Comilla Victorians to meet Fortune Barishal in BPL 2022 Final “The biggest strength Barishal have is Shakib,” Salahuddin said. “He has been doing fantastic as the captain. They defended some low-scoring affairs. He used his resources in the most effective way. So have to fight against him in the final.” Comilla coach also said that his counterpart Mahmud has something special in him that made him the most successful coach in the history of BPL.  Comilla captain Imrul Kayes reckons that Shakib is more experienced than him as a captain as the latter led the Tigers in many matches in international cricket. “Shakib is so proactive in the field, and he is more experienced than me,” Imrul told the media on Thursday. “I will also try to do more as a captain.”  Imrul has a good chance to become the only second captain after Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to win the title of BPL on more than one occasion. Mashrafe won four BPL titles while Imrul won one as the captain of the Victorians.  While Shakib was the sharpest weapon in Barishal’s arsenal, Faf du Plessis, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Moeen Ali, Mustafizur Rahman have done well for Victorians. Having more match-winners than Barishal is keeping Victorians, the two-time BPL champions, slightly ahead of Barsihal in the final.  But the players Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo are yet to display their batting prowess that can change the fate of the match at any moment. And along with them, Munim Shahriar also drew the attention of many with his power-hitting ability. The right-handed batter can also win for Barishal.  The final match starts at 5:30 pm.  

The winner of the first qualifier, Fortune Barishal, will meet the winner of the second qualifier, Comilla Victorians, in the Bangladesh Premier League season 8 championship match on February 18. The final match will be held in Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla cricket stadium. Both the Barishal and Comilla franchises were pre-season favorites, and they have deservedly advanced to the BPL final this year. The BPL 2022 final preview of Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal is discussed in this article. BPL Season 8 Final Preview: Fortune Barishal vs Comilla Victorians Fortune Barishal have done well under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan, who has been in superb form throughout the competition. Oppositely, the Imrul Kayes-led Comilla Victorians have a number of world-class T20 players on their lineup. Imrul Kayes and Shakib Al Hasan will meet in the final for the second time as captains. Imrul Kayes' Comilla defeated Shakib's Dhaka in the 2019 BPL final. As a result, Shakib will have a wonderful opportunity to avenge that defeat. The final match of the BPL 2022 will begin At 5.30 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).  Read BAN vs AFG 2022: Momentous ODI records between Bangladesh and Afghanistan Comilla Victorians The Comilla Victorians are expected to use the same playing XI that faced Chattogram Challengers in the qualifier 2 encounter. Because keeping the winning combination in the final will be the best decision. Comilla Victorians management made the correct decision by promoting Sunil Narine up the batting order against Chattogram. The West Indian power-hitter made the most of his opportunity and delivered a crucial knock for his team. Sunil Narine scored the quickest half-century in BPL history with a 13-ball fifty. In the middle order, Narine, Faf du Plessis, and Moeen Ali will be a major worry for Fortune Barishal. Read AUS vs SL 2022: Australia Win T20I Series with Two Games to Spare Mustafizur Rahman, Shohidul Islam, and Moeen Ali will be crucial for the Victorians in bowling. Comilla will be looking for a strong performance from them in the title match. Predicted Playing XI Top Order: Liton Das, Sunil Narine, Imrul Kayes (captain) Middle-Orders: Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Ariful Haque, Abu Hider Rony Lower-Order: Shohidul Islam, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman Fortune Barishal Fortune Barishal have defeated Comilla Victorians twice out of three matches in this season's BPL. As a result, they will be a more confident team in the final. The Barishal team is unlikely to change its winning combination for this title match. Read BAN vs AFG 2022: BCB Announced ODI Squad for Afghanistan Series In form, Shakib Al Hasan will be Barishal's major weapon in the final. Munim Shahriar, Chris Gayle, and DJ Bravo will also be crucial in this encounter. Gayle has a history of decimating opponents in the final. He did it for Rangpur against Dhaka in the 2017 BPL final. Comilla Victorians will have a horrible Friday if Chris Gayle finds his best form in this match. Munim Shahriar has been a revolution, and his sparkling performances in this campaign have captured the attention of many. Shakib, Bravo, and Mujeeb will be vital players in the bowling department. Barishal will expect their greatest players to perform to their maximum capacity in the final match. Predicted Playing XI Top Order: Munim Shahriar, Chris Gayle, Najmul Hossain Shanto Middle Orders: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Ziaur Rahman, Towhid Hridoy, Dwayne Bravo, Nurul Hasan (wicket-keeper), Lower Order: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Shafiqul Islam. Read Four uncapped players called up to Bangladesh ODI team vs Afghanistan Pitch and Weather Report The pitches appear to be a lot better in comparison to previous phases in Dhaka. Batters find runs on Mirpur surfaces, which is good news for both teams. Therefore, the championship match between Fortune Barishal and Comilla Victorians is set to be a run-fest. The weather forecast promises a sunny day with no chance of rain on Friday. As a result, it should be a pleasant day for a T20 match. Verdict The two finalists of BPL Season 8 have been confirmed after a month of excitement. Two of the competition's favorites, Fortune Barishal and Comilla Victorians have qualified for the finals after overcoming some tough matches in the league stage and playoffs. Fortune Barishal have been in excellent form, going undefeated in their last seven matches. On the other hand, Comilla Victorians lost two successive matches before thrashing Chattogram Challengers in the second qualifier on Wednesday (February 16). As the BPL 2022 final Preview indicates, no team is favourite in the championship match. The team that plays to their full potential in the final will win the eighth season of the BPL.  Read BAN v AFG 2022: Bangladesh Eye Top Spot in ICC CWC Super League