Khushdil Shah’s whirlwind knock after Liton Das’ brisk innings powered Comilla Victorians to 177-5 against Rangpur Riders in both team’s final group phase match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Liton made an eye soothing 47 off 33 balls while Pakistani batter Khushdil smashed an unbeaten 20-ball 40 to take Comilla to a more than decent total after they were asked to bat first.
For Rangpur, Afghan pacer Azmatullah Omarzai claimed 2-34 from four overs.
Both Rangpur and Comilla have 16 points after 11 group-stage games with eight wins and three defeats and have already qualified for the knock-out stage.
Rangpur are currently placed at no.2 in the table, one place above defending champions Comilla owing to a better run-rate.
In the BPL, the first two teams after the group-stage play in the first qualifier, where the winner qualifies for the final while the loser gets to play in the second qualifier, where they take on the winner of the eliminator match between the third and fourth team in the table.
Hence, a win on Friday would ensure Rangpur or Comilla a top-two finish in the table alongside table-toppers Sylhet Strikers and an extra cushion in the knock-out stage.