Rangpur Riders stayed alive in the ongoing ninth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League as they beat Fortune Barishal by four wickets on Sunday in a thrilling eliminator to ensure their place in the second qualifier.
For Barishal, the tournament came to a disappointing end after they stayed in the top two for most of the league stage but three consecutive defeats saw them eliminated early.
Rangpur will now face the loser of the first qualifier between Sylhet Strikers and Comilla Victorians.
The match seemed to be an easy chase for Rangpur, courtesy of Shamim Hossain’s brilliant 71 off 51, but quick wickets in the middle brought the tie to 19 off the last two overs.
In the 19th over, Khaled gave away 11 runs as Shak Mahedi Hasan managed two fours in the overs, including one on a no-ball.
In the final over, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, defending eight runs, managed to give a single in the first ball but Mahedi struck two fours in a row in the next two deliveries to ensure their win with three balls in hand.
Earlier, Barishal had the foundation to build something big as Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 69 off 48 balls gave them a solid start. But a timid finish, where they scored only 44 in the final five overs, saw them end on 170-3, a subpar total on a good wicket to bat on.
In reply, Rangpur lost Mohammad Naim early and their first three overs only produced eight runs but soon they turned the tide as the next three overs produced 47.
For Rangpur, Shamim, who was promoted to number three, came out as the hero as the left-handed batter picked up his fifty off 36 balls and continued to guide his team to victory.
He was aptly supported by Rony Talukder, who scored 29 off 17 balls, at the top but nobody could provide him support in the middle overs, and Shamim fell on 71 from 51 balls, with his team still requiring 31 from 20 balls.
From there, Dasun Shanaka and Mahedi ensured that they got the win and reached the second qualifier.
