Sports Desk:

Following a two-day hiatus, the ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League is going to resume at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today, as the competition is returning to Dhaka after its Chattogram phase.

In the day’s opening match, Chattogram Challengers will take on Rangpur Riders at 1:30pm, while in the day’s second match Dhaka Dominators will face defending champions Comilla Victorians at 6:30pm.

Nagarik TV will televise both the games live.

The evening game between third-placed Comilla and bottom-placed Dhaka is expected to be one-sided affair, considering the former’s recent form.

The inclusion of Pakistan-duo Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Naseem Shah has bolstered the side’s strength.

Right-handed batsman Rizwan even himself has admitted the fact.

‘Your team turns into your family, and we [he and Naseem] have a good combination in Pakistan, and we are both from KPK [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] as well, a city in Pakistan,’ Rizwan told reporters on Sunday.

The 30-year-old batsman hoped that he and Naseem would play a pivotal role in gaining a win for Comilla against the hosts and further lengthen their three-match winning streak.

‘Naseem is obviously in rhythm with the Pakistan team. Our confidence and everything between Naseem Shah and me are good. And we both will perform in the game for Comilla’s victory,’ concluded Rizwan.

Chattogram will be desperate to win the day’s first game as they have had a below-par campaign so far in the ninth edition of BPL, securing only two wins from their six games and getting pushed to sixth place in the points table.

Even in their last game against the Khulna Tigers, Shuvagata Hom-led Chattogram suffered a thrashing seven-wicket defeat.

Given their situation, they don’t have a choice but to win against Rangpur to keep their eliminator hopes alive.

To find their desired win, Chattogram bowlers, along with the batting department, must step up to leave behind the disaster they endured in the Chattogram phase.

Former champions Rangpur are also having a forgettable run in this BPL, as they could manage the same number of wins as Chattogram out of their five matches but are currently sitting just ahead of Chattogram due superior run rate.

Despite having a star-studded team with the likes of Shoaib Malik, Mahedi Hasan, Rony Talukdar, and Shamim Hossain, Rangpur have failed to show their worth on the field.

Although Rangpur batsmen put in some effort to gather 171 in their last encounter against Fortune Barishal, it wasn’t enough to secure a win for the side, as earlier the bowlers failed to restrict their opponent within a low total, allowing Barishal to score a massive 238.

Rangpur’s desperation to return to winning ways might make the tie a competitive one.