BPL 2017, Match 32 Preview: Khulna Titans v Comilla Victorians

It’s a clash of the “Titans” going by how the League has panned out as table toppers Khulna Titans will lock horns with the Comilla Victorians. Both sides have played wonderful cricket and are undoubtedly the two best teams in the League. Being in the top two gives them an extra shot at the finals, which is what these sides will be aiming for.

The Victorians are currently in the third spot with five wins but have played two games lesser than that of the second positioned Dhaka Dynamites. So technically, if the Victorians can win their next two games, they’ll march on to the top of the table. But they have to go past the two genuine title-contenders, firstly the Titans on Tuesday and then the Dynamites the day after.

The Titans annihilated Rajshahi Kings in a one-sided contest, sending a strong message to all the other teams. Teenage sensation Afif Hossain scored a fifty, which will be a big bonus for him and the team. The battles lines will be drawn for one of the games of the season and to predict the outcome of this game is incredibly difficult.

Khulna Titans (Predicted XI): Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Rilee Rossouw, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah (C), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ariful Haque, Carlos Brathwaite, Jofra Chioke Archer, Kyle Abbott, Shafiul Islam, Abu Jayed.

Comilla Victorians (Predicted XI): Shoaib Malik, Alok Kapali, Tamim Iqbal (C), Imrul Kayes, Jos Buttler (wk), Al-Amin Hossain, Rashid Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Ali, Mahedi Hasan.

Focus will be on

Afif Hossain (Khulna)

The 18-year-old Afif Hossain played one of the knocks of his life at Chittagong on Monday, which doesn’t just boost his confidence, but also generates a positive energy in the team because this is the main motive of the league, to nurture young talents like Afif Hossain. He spanked five sixers in his innings and will be looking to pile up more runs after his impressive tally.

Hasan Ali (Comilla)

The next generation of Pakistani cricket has a bunch of wonderful talents, one of them is Hasan Ali. The fast bowlers announced his arrival with a bang in the Champions Trophy and ever since, his wicket-taking form hasn’t dimished. A gem of a bowler in the death overs, Hasan Ali can torment the opposition at any stage of the game thanks to the wonderful tricks he has in his arsenal.

Playing Combinations

Khulna Titans

The local superstar Nazmul Hossain Shanto will open the innings alongside Rilee Rossouw. Afifi Hossain at number 3 worked wonders for the side and he will continue there. Mahmudullah might take the number 4 position and there are some other powerful strikers in the lineup like Nicholas Pooran, Carlos Brathwaite, and Ariful Haque.

Kyle Abbot coming into the side was such a boost for the Titans. He Australian was economical and though Abu Jayed was expensive, they had a lot of runs to defend and it didn’t matter much. Shafiul Islam excelled with a sensational five-fer and all-rounders Jofra Archer, Brathwaite and Mahmudullah, all joined the party for the Titans to consolidate their top spot.

Comilla Victorians

Tamim Iqbal and Fakhar Zaman will open the innings for the Victorians. With the in-form Imrul Kayes coming in at number 3, they have loads of experience in their middle order, which comprises of big names like Shoaib Malik, Jos Buttler, Alok Kapali, and Mohammad Saifuddin, who can tonk the ball a long way.

Hasan Ali was the star last time, picking up a crucial five-fer. He will be accompanied by some stellar fast bowling talents like Saifuddin and Al-Amin Hossain. They used all their three spinners judiciously last time and Malik, Rashid Khan, and Mahedi Hasan will come in to play very early in the game one again.

StatAttack

15 – Abu Jayed is the highest wicket-taker in the League with 15 wickets.

195.74 – Carlos Brathwaite remains to be at the top amongst all the batters with the best strike rate.