After bottling the chase against the Warriors and losing in a Super Over yesterday, Rangpur Riders learned from their mistakes and bounced back in style, thumping the Titans by six wickets to return to winning ways. Time to wrap up this coverage, folks! For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of my colleagues, Utsav Chandak, Saptak Sanyal, Ghanendra Singh Thakur, and Aman. See You Soon!
Nurul Hasan (Rangpur Riders Captain): "I think the way Faheem and Fizz started for us and Riyad bhai finished it well. I think it was really important to use the powerplay for us with the ball as the wicket is slow. Yeah, there was an option of me and Mahmudullah bhai, and the team decided to send him and it worked for us."
Mahmudullah (POTM): "I’m very happy to deliver for the team, but at the same time I need to stay humble because in this BPL there’s still a lot to prove. In T20 cricket, if you get the opportunity to finish the game early, you should take it — you don’t want to drag it to the last over because you never know what can happen. I’m really happy for the boys because the team really needed this win."
Man of the match: Mahmudullah Riyad.
Time for Post Match Presentation.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Sylhet Titans Captain):" I think in the last 5 overs we didn't score many runs and we were 20-25 runs short. The ball was gripping in the surface, if we had gotten past 160, it would have been better. Mustafizur & Ashraf are really experienced bowlers and they bowled really well today. Every game the crowd is coming out in numbers and hopefully in the next game we will be on the winning side."
10:03 PM IST, 10:33 PM Local Time: A valuable knock from Mahmudullah has helped the Riders cross the line by six wickets with seven balls to spare.
Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Sylhet Titans endured were restricted to 144/8. They began brightly in the powerplay but lost momentum through the middle overs after early wickets derailed their progress. Saim Ayub and Rony Talukdar showed early intent, but the quick dismissals of Rony and skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz, followed by Parvez Hossain Emon’s slow stay, left the Titans struggling at 63/4. Afif Hossain and Ethan Brookes then rebuilt the innings with a crucial 66-run partnership, steadying the ship and injecting some momentum. Afif led the way with a 31-ball 46, while Brookes contributed a vital 32 off 30 deliveries. However, Rangpur Riders produced an outstanding finish, conceding just 19 runs and taking four wickets in the final three overs to keep the Titans in check. Faheem Ashraf and Mustafizur Rahman starred with three wickets apiece, while Aliss Islam and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury chipped in with one each. In reply, Rangpur Riders made a sluggish start, struggling to score freely as they lost Dawid Malan (19 off 21) and Towhid Hridoy (6 off 11) to slump to 44/2 in the eighth over. Litton Das took time to settle at the crease, and just when he looked to be finding his rhythm, Afif Hossain pulled off a stunning catch in the outfield to send the wicketkeeper-batter back for 35 off 25 balls. Kyle Mayers initially struggled to time the ball but still chipped in with a useful 31 off 29 deliveries. However, the required run rate climbed past ten an over, with the Riders needing 62 off the final 36 balls. Mahmudullah walked in and went all guns blazing, providing the much-needed acceleration and completely turning the game on its head. Khushdil Shah played a steady supporting role with an unbeaten 19, while Mahmudullah smashed an unbeaten 34 off just 16 balls as the Riders cruised home by six wickets with seven balls to spare.
The Titans' bowlers lost the plot in the death overs and failed to defend the total. Saim Ayub, Khaled Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, and Ethan Brookes chipped in with one wicket each for them.