After an intense battle for 6 weeks which saw fortunes fluctuating from one side to the other, it will be Khulna Tigers and Rajshahi Royals who will be fighting it out in the final of the 7th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Amidst some controversies and match-fixing allegations, the tournament has panned out quite well and both these teams now will look to put their name on the trophy. In all likelihood, Khulna Tigers will start off as the favourites especially given the fact that they defeated the Rajshahi Royals in the 1st qualifier.
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The form of Najmul Hossain Shanto with the bat has been nothing short of exceptional. The left-handed batsman smashed a match-winning 78 to get them to a competitive score of 158. However, the main difference was made by Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir who finished with magical figures of 6/17 in his allotted 4 overs.
On the other hand, Rajshahi Royals scraped through to the final after battling very hard in the 2nd qualifier against the Chattogram Challengers. They finally managed to get over the line on the back of a sensational 54 of just 22 deliveries. His form will come in very handy for Royals if they harbour hopes of lifting the trophy. We should be expecting a pulsating contest in Dhaka later today.
Pitch Conditions and Toss
The pitch at the Sher-e Bangla Stadium in Dhaka has produced sporting wickets in the past and it shouldn’t be any different today. The spinners will definitely come into the foray but the fast bowlers will also have a good time if they bowl in the right areas as we saw in the 1st qualifier with Mohammad Amir. The average score batting first in this venue in the last 5 matches has been 168. The team winning the toss could be tempted to bat given the fact that this will be a knockout clash.
Probable Playing XI’s
Khulna Tigers
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rilee Rossouw, Shamsur Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (C & WK), Najibullah Zadran, Robbie Frylinck, Mohammad Amir, Shafiul Islam, Shahidul Islam, Aminul Islam Biplob
Rajshahi Royals
Liton Das, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Irfan Sukkur (wk), Alok Kapali, Shoaib Malik, Andre Russell (C), Mohammad Nawaz, Farhad Reza, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Abu Jayed Rahi, Mohammad Irfan
Match Details
Bangladesh Premier League 2019-20
Final: Khulna Tigers vs Rajshahi Royals
Date And Time: 17th January, Friday– 6: 00 pm IST
Venue: Sher-e Bangla Stadium, Dhaka
Television: FanCode
Pivotal Players
Khulna Tigers
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rilee Rossouw, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Amir
Rajshahi Royals
Liton Das, Shoaib Malik, Andre Russell, Mohammad Irfan
Top 4 batting order
Khulna Tigers
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rilee Rossouw, Mushfiqur Rahim
Rajshahi Royals
Liton Das, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Irfan Sukkur, Shoaib Malik
Clean Hitters
Khulna Tigers
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rilee Rossouw
Rajshahi Royals
Andre Russell, Shoaib Malik
Death over bowlers
Khulna Tigers
Mohammad Amir, Shafiul Islam
Rajshahi Royals
Abu Jayed Rahi, Mohammad Irfan
Wicket-keepers
Liton Das will be the sole wicket-keeper in our dream XI team. Despite Mushfiqur Rahim’s heroics with the bat in the tournament, he had to be left out given the fact that he has a credit point of 10.5 and he cannot be accommodated. Liton Das has also looked in great touch all through the tournament and has scored 430 runs in the tournament so far.
Batsmen
Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Rilee Rossouw will be the first two batsmen in our dream XI team. Shanto has looked in great touch all through the tournament and scored a magnificent 78 in the previous clash. He is a powerful striker of the ball and can turn the match on its head. On the other hand, Rilee Rossouw is an automatic choice in the dream XI team. The southpaw has scored 458 runs in the tournament so far and will definitely look to make an impact in the mega finale.
The next two batters in our dream XI team will be Shoaib Malik and Afif Hossain. The former Pakistan skipper has been one of the most consistent batsmen in the tournament so far. He has scored 446 runs in the tournament and will look to add some more in the all-important final. Youngster Afif Hossain also had a great season with the bat scoring 360 runs so far in 13 matches.
All-rounders
Andre Russell, Robbie Frylinck and Mohammad Nawaz will be the three all-rounders in our dream XI team. Russell scored a match-winning 54 of 22 deliveries in the 2nd qualifier against Chattogram Challengers. Meanwhile, he has also bagged 11 wickets so far.
On the other hand, Robbie Frylinck is having a dream tournament. He has been pretty consistent with the ball in hand and has bagged 18 wickets so far in the tournament. Frylinck is also a powerful striker of the ball and can chip in with some important runs in the lower middle order.
Mohammad Nawaz, the last all-rounder will definitely look to make an impact in the final. He hasn’t produced too many match-winning performances but today might just be the day.
Bowlers
Mohammad Amir, Shahidul Islam and Aminul Islam will be the three bowlers in our dream XI team. Amir proved to be the difference between the two teams in qualifier 1 when he finished with sensational figures of 6/17 in his allotted 4 overs. Meanwhile, Shahidul Islam has also looked in a great rhythm and has managed to bag 18 wickets in the tournament so far. Hence both these players are sensible picks in the dream XI team.
The last name in our dream XI team is Aminul Islam. The leg spinner is a wicket-taking option and made his presence felt during the T20I series against India.
Captain and Vice-captain
Andre Russell will be the captain of the day while Mohammad Amir will be the vice-captain.
Dream 11 Disclaimer
All our selections are based on in-depth and astute analysis of the players partaking in the match, pitch report and a perusal of other reasoning. Please incorporate a slew of factors while crafting your own side with this article serving as a guide to the match and players.
