As we approach the business end of the Bangladesh Premier League, it will be table toppers Rajshahi Royals who will square off against a struggling Sylhet Thunder side. Rajshahi Royal has been one of the most superior team in the tournament so far having won 6 of the 9 matches they have played so far. They are currently occupying the 2nd position and a victory will see them surge to the top of the points table replacing Dhaka Platoon.
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Note: We have made one change to our team after lineups were announced
OUT: K Santokie
IN: Naveen ul Haq
They are coming off an impressive 30 runs victory against the Cumilla Warriors and will look to consolidate on their position of strength. Sylhet Thunder, on the other hand, is languishing at the bottom of the points table with just a solitary victory in their 10 outings. They are all but out of the tournament and will be playing for pride. They will definitely look to finish the tournament on a high.
Pitch Conditions and Toss
It has been a traditionally batting-friendly wicket in Sylhet. However, the conditions in Sylhet have been pretty overcast and the rain threat looms large on this encounter as well. Hence the team winning the toss might be tempted to chase. Despite the rain threat, we should witness a high scoring encounter if we manage to see a full game.
Probable Playing XI’s
Andre Russell wasn’t part of the playing XI in the last encounter and could warm the benches yet again.
Sylhet Thunder
Andre Fletcher (c), Rony Talukdar, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Nazmul Hossain Milon, Sohag Gazi, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Nayeem Hasan, Krishmar Santokie, Monir Hossain, Ebadot Hossain
Rajshahi Royals
Liton Das (wk), Afif Hossain, Alok Kapali, Shoaib Malik (c), Irfan Sukkur (wk), Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Irfan, Farhad Reza, Abu Jayed, Kamrul Islam
Match Details
Bangladesh Premier League 2019-20
Match: Sylhet Thunder vs Rajshahi Royals
Date And Time: 4th January, Saturday – 6: 00 pm IST
Venue: Sylhet International Stadium, Sylhet
Television: FanCode
Pivotal Players
Sylhet Thunder
Andre Fletcher, Mohammad Mithun, Sherfane Rutherford, Shafiqullah Shafiq
Rajshahi Royals
Liton Das, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Irfan
Top 4 batting order
Sylhet Thunder
Andre Fletcher, Rony Talukdar, Mohammad Mithun, Sherfane Rutherford
Rajshahi Royals
Liton Das (wk), Afif Hossain, Alok Kapali, Shoaib Malik
Clean Hitters
Sylhet Thunder
Andre Fletcher, Sherfane Rutherford
Rajshahi Royals
Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara
Death over bowlers
Sylhet Thunder
Krishmar Santokie, Ebadot Hossain
Rajshahi Royals
Mohammad Irfan, Abu Jayed
Wicket-keepers
Mohammad Mithun and Liton Das will be our two wicket-keepers of the dream XI team. Liton is due for a big score and hasn’t been too consistent in the tournament so far. However, he is a terrific timer of the ball and a big knock might just be around the corner. On the other hand, Mohammad Mithun has been an integral part of Sylhet Thunder and has churned out runs very consistently. He scored a brilliant 62 against the Rangpur Rangers but it wasn’t enough to hand them a victory.
Batsmen
Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford and youngster Afif Hossain will be the three batsmen in our dream XI team. Malik has been a consistent run-scorer in this tournament so far and scored 37 in the previous clash.
Sherfane Rutherford is also a clean striker of the ball and has the ability to smash sixes at will. He scored a brilliant 60 against the Rangpur Rangers and has also bagged some crucial wickets. On the other hand, Afif Hossain has looked in impressive touch and scored 32 against the Rangers last time around. In the previous leg against Rangers, Afif bagged two crucial wickets.
All-rounders
Ravi Bopara and Mohammad Nawaz will be the two all-rounders in our dream XI team. Bopara scored a fine half-century in the previous clash against the Rangers and will look to carry on the good work. He bagged two important wickets in the previous clash against Rangers and scored an unbeaten 15. He might turn out to be the X factor.
Bowlers
The first two bowlers in our dream XI team will be Mohammad Irfan and Ferhad Reza. The tallest player to ever grace the game, Irfan has bowled with hostility and has bagged some important wickets. He bagged 3 wickets against the Rangers in the last two matches and will look to carry on the good work. Ferhad Reza has also been a wicket-taking option and has bowled pretty well so far.
The last two names will be Krishmar Santokie and Ebadot Hossain. Santokie did leak some runs in the previous clash but is a wicket-taking option. On the other hand, Ebadot Hossain has also bowled well and bagged two crucial wickets in the previous clash.
Captain and Vice-captain
Mohammad Mithun will be the captain of the day while Ravi Bopara will be the vice-captain.
