Chittagong phase of BPL 6 set to begin

The Chittagong phase of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League 6 will start Friday as four teams – Rajshahi Kings, Sylhet Sixers, Chittagong Vikings and Rangpur Riders – will face each other at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

The first match of the day will be between Rajshahi and Sylhet. 

The game is important for both the teams as they need to win to keep their hope of getting a spot in the playoffs alive. 

Rajshahi lost a close encounter against the Vikings Wednesday and they have won four of their eight matches and are currently sitting at fifth position in the points table behind Rangpur due to an inferior run rate. 

Points Table of UCB Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 6th Edition - 2019.

Last Updated: 23rd January, 2019#BPL #BPLSeason6 pic.twitter.com/CNsPJ9nfFY

— BPLT20 (@Official_BPLT20) January 23, 2019

They had an optional training session Thursday at the ZACS. 

The Kings have signed West Indies top-order batsman Johnson Charles and the opener has a good chance of playing Friday's game.

On the other hand, there is no option but to win for the Sixers as they have only won two matches out of eight. 

To qualify for the playoffs they need to win their remaining games. 

Mushfiq navigates Vikings to top https://t.co/Pscb2FkHSw#ChittagongVikings captain #Mushfiqur Rahim scored another #BPL half century to beat #RajshahiKings by six wickets on Wednesday at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 23, 2019

Meanwhile, a confident Chittagong will face defending champion Rangpur in the evening game. 

Chittagong have showed superb form in the season so far and have won six out of their seven matches. 

The Chittagong camp is cautious ahead of their clash against Rangpur and the former hope to carry the momentum in their favour.

“We are playing well as a team. We will try to continue the momentum. We have to start fresh against Rangpur. It’s a new game. They (Riders) have won their last two matches by chasing the target. They have a strong batting line-up. We are also playing well in all three departments. Players are performing well for us. Hopefully we can bring a positive result,” said middle-order batsman Mohammad Ashraful after the practice session at the ZACS Thursday.

All-round Titans fetch second win https://t.co/EtvUjztZ0o#KhulnaTitans got their second victory in the #BangladeshPremierLeague’s sixth edition as they beat #SylhetSixers by 21 runs at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.

— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) January 23, 2019

Rangpur opener Alex Hales admitted it’s a big game for them as they are in fourth position in the seven-team standing, just marginally ahead of Rajshahi owing to a slightly better run rate. 

The English opener is banking on their batting strength, and hopes that batting-friendly wickets in the port city will help them produce a strong performance in the coming week during the Chittagong phase of the tournament.

“It’s a big game for us. Hopefully we will find form back in the tournament. Chittagong are the team that have played well in the tournament. So it’s important for us to get a win in the board as we are playing against all the teams around the table. So it’s an important week for us. I think this ground probably suits us more. We have a very strong batting line up. Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Rilee Rossouw have been in brilliant form as well. I think batting in this wicket will hopefully suit us more,” Hales said after the training session at ZACS.

The game between Rajshahi and Sylhet will start at 2pm local time while the match between Chittagong and Rangpur will begin at 7pm.