Home ›› 13 Apr 2023 ›› Sport
The fight for the Super League stage of the Dhaka Premier League is turning tight as the penultimate round of the league stage starts today with only two spots up for grabs.
The top six teams from the league stage will qualify for the Super League stage.
After nine rounds of play, Abahani Limited, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Legends of Rupganj, and Prime Bank Cricket Club have qualified for the Super League.
Gazi Group Cricketers and Mohammedan Sporting Club are the favourites for the remaining two Super League spots as they will qualify if they win both of their remaining games. Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club, Brothers Union, City Club, and Agrani Bank Cricket Club are still in the fight but will have to depend on the results of the others.
On the other hand, Dhaka Leopards and Shinepukur Cricket Club are hovering in the relegation zone and are likely to play in the relegation league, where the bottom three will play with the top team there surviving.
As things stand, Abahani top the points table with a better net run rate as they are tied on points with second-placed Sheikh Jamal with 16. Legends of Rupganj and Prime Bank are third and fourth with 14 and 12 points respectively.
Gazi Group and Mohammedan are currently fifth and sixth with both having nine points from nine matches, winning and losing four, besides sharing points in a match.
Mohammedan’s fight for the qualification seems easier as their last two games are against relegation-battlers Shinepukur and Leopards.
Gazi Group have to play Brothers Union, who are also fighting for the sixth spot and are currently eighth with six points, today in their penultimate league stage match before facing Shinepukur.
The equation is such that if Mohammedan and Gazi Group win one out of the two and Rupganj Tigers, who are currently seventh in the table with seven points, win both of their remaining games, the team with the lowest NRR among the three will miss out on a Super League spot.
Rupganj Tigers’ last two matches are against City Club and Brothers Union, their direct rivals for the last two spots.
The equations for Brothers Union, City Club, and Agrani Bank are much more complicated as all of them are on six points and will only have a shot at qualification if Mohammedan and Gazi Group lose both their games.
If either two of Mohammedan, Gazi Group, and Rupganj Tigers fail to secure any more wins, then Brothers Union, City Club, and Agrani Bank will have the chance of reaching the next stage by winning all of their remaining games.
The Super League is the second phase of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League where the top six teams from the first phase play each other for five rounds, and at the end, the team with the highest points will be crowned champions.
