BPL 2019, Match 6, Comilla Victorians vs Rangpur Riders, Match Prediction: Who will win the Match?

Two teams, with numerous problems to be addressed, will meet each other for the 6th game of the league.

Published - 07 Jan 2019, 19:00 IST | Updated - 07 Jan 2019, 19:00 IST

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After a day-off, the Comilla Victorians and the Rangpur Riders will face off in the sixth match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The Steve Smith-led Victorians had a positive start to the tournament as they defeated David Warner-led Sylhet Sixers in their opening encounter. However, the players looked slightly rusty and it all boiled down to the last over before the winner was decided.

There are a few areas to be addressed in the middle order. Yet, one cannot come to a conclusion since these are still early days in the tournament. For the Riders, this will be their third game of the tournament. Their first two encounters were quite close with the results going either way. They are placed fourth on the points table at the moment with two points and a win is critical for them.

Pitch and Conditions

The initial leg of the tournament will be played at Dhaka. Going by the results of the previous matches, the pitch seems to play the best under the lights. If the batsmen can settle in, a big score is definitely on the cards. The team winning the toss might want to field first as dew might play a factor in the later stages of the game as the humidity is high. The temperature might fluctuate between 20ºC and 25ºC.

Team Combinations

Comilla Victorians

It is too early in the tournament for the Victorians to change their XI. With enough time left for the ODI series, Pakistani batsman Shoaib Malik is expected to continue playing for the team. It will take some time for the former Australian skipper to know everyone in the team properly. He might be pondering over the inclusion of Mosharraf Hossain in the XI as he is one of the most successful bowlers in the league. There are a few possible changes in the batting order.

Predicted XI: Tamim Iqbal, Evin Lewis, Imrul Kayes, Steve Smith (C), Shoaib Malik, Anamul Haque (wk), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahedi Hasan, Abu Hider Rony, Mohammad Shahid.

Rangpur Riders

As per the reports, Windies batsman Chris Gayle received his NOC to take part in the BPL. Hence he might replace Alex Hales in the playing XI. The rest of the side might remain unchanged as AB de Villiers will only join the team after the Dhaka phase of the tournament. The overseas players will have to be at their best to solidify their place in the side before ABD joins in.

Predicted XI: Rilee Rossouw, Chris Gayle, Mehedi Maruf/Nadif Chowdhury, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Ravi Bopara, Benny Howell, Farhad Reza, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Sohag Gazi, Nazmul Islam, Shafiul Islam.