In a do-or-die encounter, the top order of tournament heavyweights Rangpur Riders collapsed in dramatic fashion against Sylhet Titans. Eventually, Rangpur managed to scrape together a modest total of 111 runs, largely thanks to a lower-order effort from Mahmudullah Riyad.
After losing the toss and being sent in to bat at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Rangpur were bowled out for 111 runs, losing 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Mahmudullah was the top scorer for the side with 33 runs.
His 26-ball innings was more about resisting the pressure than building momentum. Rangpur suffered an early blow in just the second over, when Tawhid Hridoy was dismissed by Khaled Ahmed. The centurion from the previous match could manage only 4 runs this time.
Fellow opener Dawid Malan also returned to the pavilion with the same score. Batting at number three, Rangpur captain Litton Das failed to get going and became another victim of Khaled Ahmed. The pressure intensified further when Sylhet’s Salman removed Kyle Mayers.
Reduced to 29 for 4, Rangpur tried to rebuild through Khushdil Shah and Mahmudullah. However, Nasum Ahmed did not allow the partnership to flourish, dismissing Khushdil for 30 runs to claim his first wicket. He later sent Mahmudullah back as well, ending his resistance on 33.
Rangpur could not recover after that collapse. Late contributions from Nurul Hasan Sohan, who scored 18 runs, helped the star-studded side cross the three-figure mark.
For Sylhet, Khaled Ahmed was outstanding with the ball, picking up 4 wickets for just 14 runs. Nasum Ahmed claimed 2 wickets conceding only 12 runs, while Chris Woakes also took 2 wickets for 15 runs. The winner of this match will advance to the second qualifier, while the losing team’s BPL campaign will come to an end.
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