Rangpur Riders' Streak Broken by Durbar Rajshahi in Thrilling Two-Run Win

Rangpur Riders, who were flying high with eight consecutive victories in the BPL, were handed two back-to-back defeats by the struggling Durbar Rajshahi. The league leaders, who had dominated the tournament, were brought back down to earth by Rajshahi, who have been underperforming throughout the season. However, just before the match, Durbar Rajshahi faced another setback as none of their foreign players were included in the playing XI due to a payment dispute. The foreign recruits boycotted the match, staying at the hotel, while the local players delivered a stunning performance to clinch the win.

In the last match of the Chattogram phase, Rangpur Riders lost to Durbar Rajshahi by 24 runs, marking their first defeat of the season. After the tournament returned to Dhaka, Rangpur was once again defeated, this time by just two runs in a thrilling finish. Despite Mohammad Saifuddin’s best efforts, he couldn’t guide his team to victory. Rajshahi’s remarkable win propelled them to fourth place in the points table.

Chasing a modest target of 120, Rangpur's powerful batting line-up fell short, managing just 146 runs. Durbar Rajshahi’s bowlers, led by Mrittunjay Chowdhury, performed wonders with the ball, with Chowdhury claiming a five-wicket haul. Earlier, Rajshahi, who batted first after losing the toss, were restricted to 119 runs, losing 9 wickets. The highest score came from Sanjamul Islam, who made 28 runs.

The team had been in turmoil recently due to various off-field issues, including delayed player payments and embarrassing situations like not being able to pay hotel bills in Chattogram. In the latest controversy, the foreign players boycotted the match against Rangpur Riders, refusing to take the field due to the payment issue. As a result, Durbar Rajshahi was forced to field a team made up entirely of local players.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Durbar Rajshahi managed to defeat the mighty Rangpur Riders, who had already secured a playoff spot, with this loss not affecting their position in the points table.