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On January 27 at 15:00 local time, the Chattogram Challengers will take on the formidable Fortune Barishal in the 26th match of the 2023 Bangladesh Premier League at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
The performance of Chattogram in this ongoing tournament is nothing short of disastrous. They have failed badly in all areas thus far, and they have lost a lot of games in a row in their last three games, which has hurt their morale and their team’s willingness to compete. They are currently sitting in seventh place on the points table, right at the bottom. They have only won two of their seven games thus far, with a pitiful net run rate of – 1.090.
Fortune Barishal, on the other hand, has performed exceptionally well in this year’s BPL competition. With a formidable net run rate of 0.826, they are currently the second-highest-ranked team, just behind Sylhet Strikers, and have convincingly dominated the majority of their opponents. Fortune Barishal, in contrast to Chattogram, have won four of their last five games, an impressive record. However, after losing to Sylhet Strikers by just two runs, they will be disappointed going into this game. Barishal also has all the firepower they need to turn the tide in their favor, considering the form of their premium batter, Iftikhar Ahmed. Continue reading for a preview of this rather lopsided matchup.
This season, Fortune Barishal has performed admirably and exudes confidence. They will still have a substantial amount of belief leading up to this match because they know that they have match-winners who have delivered for them in the past and will continue to do so in times to come, even though their narrow defeat in their previous game on January 24 would have somewhat dented their confidence.
After being held to just 89 runs in 20 overs in their first game, Chattogram Challengers had a poor start to the season. However, in the subsequent game, their opening batters, Usman Khan and Max O’Dowd, combined for a record-breaking 141-run partnership to propel the Challengers to an emphatic victory. This marked a remarkable turnaround. The Challengers have struggled ever since to replicate the heroics of the second game. We strongly support the Fortune to defeat Challengers in a dominantly one-sided manner unless someone from Challengers decides to end their misery.
TEAMS PREVIEW
The Chattogram Challengers will rely on Usman Khan, Tawfique Khan, Dervesh Rasooli, Khawaja Nafay, and Shuvagata Hom to score the majority of runs in the batting department.
In the previous match, captain Shuvagata Hom performed admirably with the bat, scoring the highest total of 52 runs in 31 balls.
Ziaur Rahman and Darwesh Rasooli, who contributed with scores of 24 and 21 respectively, provided him with solid support.
The team’s bowlers will be Shuvagata Hom, Afif Hossain, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, V Viyaskanth, Taijul Islam, and Mehedi Hasan Rana, among others, whose timely breakthroughs will be crucial.
Challengers chose Mehedi Hasan Rana to bowl, and in his four overs, he got 3 for 39. In addition to Rana, Shuvagata Hom had a strong performance with the ball, going 2 for 13 in his three innings.
CCH Key Players
Usman Khan, a player born in Pakistan, has demonstrated his undeveloped batting talent in the ongoing 2023 BPL competition. He has established a reputation as a powerful hitter following his blistering innings against Khulna, in which he struck 103* off 58 balls. He has caused havoc at the top of the order and is one of the Challengers’ leading run-getters. There will be no stopping him once he gets going. His up-the-order contribution has contributed to his team’s commendable totals. However, as the tournament has progressed, when he fails to perform, his team collapses. Challengers would anticipate him to produce his best performances more frequently.
Max O’Dowd – Like his rival Usman, Max O’Dowd has scored a few runs in this tournament. He was crucial in the Challengers’ scintillating 141-run opening stand against Khulna, which sealed the deal for them. He has demonstrated that he can stick around when things get tough, with a batting average of 29.25. However, he needs to significantly increase his strike rate, which is currently 105.41.
Afif Hossain’s batting prowess has been demonstrated to some extent in this year’s BPL competition. Hossain has a reputation for being a skilled stroke player and has a cunning ability to anchor his innings for his team. He is not known for his pinch-hitting skills. Chattogram came away victorious against the Dhaka Dominators thanks to his innings of 69(52). He has a respectable strike rate of 120.89 and an average of 38.2 with the bat this season. To help Chattogram gain a competitive advantage, he will need to score a lot of points consistently for his franchise.
Challengers in the CCH Team Form Chattogram Who Are Expected to Play XI:
Fortune Barishal Preview: Usman Khan (wk), Tawfique Khan, Afif Hossain, Darwish Rasooli, Khawaja Nafay, Ziaur Rahman, Shuvagata Hom (c), Mehedi Hasan Rana, Taijul Islam, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury
Fortune Barishal
The team will rely on Saif Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Ibrahim Zadran, Anamul Haque, and Iftikhar Ahmed to score the majority of runs in the batting department.
Ibrahim Zadran, who was playing well for Barishal in the previous match, scored 42 runs off 37 balls, including four fours and two sixes. Saif Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, and Karim Janat gave him solid support, scoring 31, 29 runs, and 21 runs, respectively.
The team will rely on players like Khaled Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jr., in the bowling department. Mehidy Hasan Miraaz, Shakib Al Hasan, and Karim Janat to make significant advancements.
FBA Key Players
Shakib Al Hasan, the former captain of the Bangladesh national team, is performing admirably in the BPL competition this year. Barishal’s remarkable victories have been fueled by his energetic bat and ball play. The veteran from Bangladesh has a remarkable batting average of 50 and a phenomenal strike rate of over 200. He has also been scoring runs. In addition, his impressive economy rate of 5.84 RPO makes him a difficult ball customer, allowing him to control the batsmen in middle and final overs. He is unquestionably a star player to keep an eye on because of his heroics in the BPL and IPL.
Iftikhar Ahmed, a Pakistani batsman and all-rounder who also occasionally bowls, has taken the BPL by storm. The all-rounder’s explosive batting style caused a few eyebrows when he played in his first BPL tournament. He went wild against Rangpur, scoring his first century (100 out of 45 balls) and completely decimating their bowling attack. His other hits of 56(34), 57(26), and 25(18) were also for a win. Bowlers are going to have a hard time sleeping with this terrifying style of batting.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the current captain of the Bangladeshi team. In addition to providing results for his team, he is developing as an international cricketer. He is also exceptional with both the bat and the ball, just like Shakib, his Bangladeshi counterpart. If the wicket offers something to the bowlers, he can undoubtedly use the conditions to his advantage and wreak havoc on the batters. At a respectable economy rate of 7.65 RPO, he has taken five wickets. In addition, he has played some useful cameos at various positions in the batting order and contributed with the bat. With 43(29) with the bat and 2/21 with the ball, he won the match for them and gave them a convincing victory over Rangpur Riders. The young spin-bowling all-rounder adds a lot of depth and stability to his team because of his batting and bowling skills.
Chaturanga de Silva: The all-rounder from Sri Lanka is a valuable asset for his team. De Silva, who is also well-known for his abilities as a batsman, has excelled with the ball and has been inspiring the team with his consistent bowling. With five scalps, he holds the record for most wickets for Barishal. In addition, he has a healthy bowling average of 23.2 and an economy of 6.44 RPO, so he can undoubtedly stop the opposing team from scoring runs. Additionally, he has a talent for scoring useful runs. Barishal was able to defeat Comilla by 12 runs thanks to his quick 21(12) score, which included two sixes.
Barishal’s prediction for Playing XI:
Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, Saif Hassan, Anamul Haque (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Karim Janat, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Kamrul Islam, Khaled Ahmed Chattogram Challengers vs. Fortune Barishal Match Prediction The Challengers’ confidence will be pretty low because they have lost three games in a row. Barishal, on the other hand, have been playing well, despite only losing by a hair in their previous match.
Prediction: Barishal to prevail in the match.
