Comilla Victorians, the most successful team in the league's history, is all set to take on the Sylhet Strikers, who have made it to the final for the first time. The final will be played on Thursday at Mirpur, Dhaka.
While Comilla has been the most successful team in the league, the Strikers are led by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the captain who has won the BPL title more times than anyone else, making the final a unique rivalry, according to UNB.
Sylhet finished at the top of the points table in the league phase and had a great run throughout. However, they lost the first qualifier to Comilla and had to beat Rangpur Riders in the second qualifier to make it to the final.
Towhid Hriody and Najmul Hossain Shanto, both local batters, have been the key architects of Sylhet Strikers’ most successful run in the BPL. Towhid has scored five fifties this season, while Shanto has knocked two. Despite suffering a brief hand injury, Towhid has maintained his zeal throughout. Remarkably, both batters have scored over 400 runs so far, with only one other player achieving this feat.
“Our priority is team performance over individual performance,” said Sylhet’s left-handed opener Shanto ahead of the final. “It’s great to see that Towhid is also doing well, and the healthy competition between us is a positive thing. Our common goal is to excel in our game and win the match tomorrow.”
The Strikers’ main bowlers are Mohammad Amir, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Mashrafe, and Imad Wasim. On the other hand, Comilla has relied heavily on Mohammad Rizwan and Khushdil Shah, who have averages of 50 and 47, respectively. Tanvir Islam led Comilla's bowling attack, taking 16 wickets, just one short of the highest-wicket taker.
According to Comilla captain Imrul Kayes, who has already won two BPL titles, the final is going to be a high-octane match. He believes the team that can manage their nerves well will have a better chance of lifting the title.
“The match is going to be a battle of the minds,” Imrul said. “In high-pressure games, the team that can keep their nerves under control is the one that tends to perform better. It's important to manage oneself in these situations. Even if a team scores two hundred runs, there's no guarantee they will win.”
The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm, and a concert featuring renowned Bangladeshi bands will take place at the venue before the game.