Chittagong Kings strengthen BPL playoff hopes with dominant win over Rangpur Riders
With this victory, Chattogram Kings moved to third place in the standings with 12 points from 10 matches.
Chattogram Kings boosted their playoff hopes with a convincing five-wicket victory over Rangpur Riders, who slumped to their third consecutive defeat in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Having won eight matches on the trot to secure their place in the playoffs, Rangpur seem to have lost momentum, suffering back-to-back losses to Rajshahi before this latest setback against Chattogram at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
With Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad selection looming, Rangpur's Khushdil Shah and Chattogram's Usman Khan both returned home, missing this fixture.
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Despite their absence, Rangpur managed to post 144 for 5 in 20 overs, thanks largely to Iftikhar Ahmed's unbeaten half-century.
The Pakistani all-rounder played a crucial knock of 65* off 47 balls, striking three sixes and seven fours. He found valuable support from Mehedi Hasan (22* off 20), as the duo put together an unbroken 75-run stand for the sixth wicket. Earlier, Soumya Sarkar's 23 off 17 was the only other notable contribution in an otherwise shaky batting display.
Chattogram's chase got off to a stuttering start as they reached just 63 for 3 after 10 overs. Opener Parvez Hossain scored a sluggish 41 off 43 balls (strike rate 95.34), while wickets kept falling at regular intervals. However, Haider Ali turned the game on its head with a blistering 48* off just 18 deliveries, finishing the match in style. With Chattogram needing 20 off the final three overs, Haider smashed Rangpur's Akif Javed for four consecutive sixes in the 18th over to seal the victory with 14 balls to spare. His knock included six maximums and a solitary four.
Shamim Hossain also played a small but impactful role, striking two boundaries in a two-ball cameo before being run out. His quickfire eight runs helped ease the pressure before Haider's fireworks took over.
With this victory, Chattogram Kings moved to third place in the standings with 12 points from 10 matches. Rangpur, despite the loss, remain in second place with 16 points from 11 matches, trailing Fortune Barishal on net run rate. The defeat also meant that Dhaka Capitals are now officially out of playoff contention.
