Rangpur won by 8 runs

The second phase of the BPL concluded in Sylhet, with the spotlight on the Rangpur-Khulna clash. Despite having a golden opportunity to defeat the strongest team in the tournament, Rangpur Riders, Khulna Tigers failed to capitalize and lost the match. On the final day of the Sylhet leg, Rangpur secured their 7th consecutive win, with pacer Mohammad Saifuddin playing the match-winning role in the last over.

At the Sylhet International Stadium, Rangpur Riders defeated Khulna Tigers by 5 runs. Chasing a target of 186, Khulna's innings ended at 183/8. With this victory, Rangpur Riders comfortably bagged another win.

Khulna Tigers' target against Rangpur Riders was 187 runs. In the 4th over of the innings, Darwish Rasooli was dismissed for 17 runs from 15 balls, bowled out by Rangpur's Pakistani pacer Akif Javed. Following this, an important partnership formed between opener Mohammad Naim Sheikh and captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz.

The opening partnership was broken at 31, but Naim and Miraz built a strong 61-run partnership for the second wicket. Mohammad Saifuddin, however, dismissed Miraz in the very first ball of his second spell. Miraz’s innings ended at 39 from 24 balls. Naim, who had earlier scored a half-century, was caught by Mehedi Hasan at 58, after facing 45 balls.

Afif Hossain Dhruv, who had played a cameo of 29 runs off 15 balls, was the second victim for Mehedi, leaving the score at 165. From there, Mahedul Islam Ankon and Mohammad Nawaz took the team closer to victory. However, in the final over, Saifuddin’s brilliant bowling sealed Rangpur’s win, keeping them safe from any potential late rally by Khulna.

Earlier, after losing the toss, Rangpur batted first. Khulna Tigers' spinners controlled the game well, slowing down the run rate. In the Powerplay’s first six overs, Rangpur only managed 39 runs after losing two wickets. Taufiq Khan Tushar was dismissed for 36 runs off 30 balls in the 11th over. However, Khushdil Shah came in at number four and turned the tide for Rangpur. He scored 26 runs off a single over by Nasum Ahmed, including four sixes.

Khushdil reached his fifty in just 22 balls. He and Iftikhar Ahmed put up a strong 113-run partnership for the fourth wicket, with Iftikhar contributing 43 runs from 36 balls. Khushdil remained unbeaten at the end of the innings, scoring 73 runs from 35 balls, with 4 boundaries and 6 sixes, helping Rangpur reach a total of 186.

In the final analysis, Rangpur's all-round performance secured them the win, while Khulna, despite a strong chase, fell short in the end.