Despite A Six-Wicket Victory Against Khulna Tigers, Sylhet Strikers Exit From BPL 2024

Wrapping up their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 campaign, Sylhet Strikers secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Khulna Tigers on Friday at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

This win marks Sylhet’s fifth triumph in the ongoing BPL season, which also signals the conclusion of the league phase.

Despite ending on a positive note, Sylhet’s overall performance throughout the tournament was underwhelming. Despite securing five wins, they fell short of qualifying for the playoffs, a fate shared by Khulna Tigers, who also managed five victories out of their 12 matches.

In the first innings, Khulna Tigers set a modest target of 128/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Afif Hossain displayed resilience with an impressive 52 off 35 balls, anchoring the Tigers’ innings. Benny Howell emerged as the key bowler for the Strikers, claiming figures of 3/15.

In reply, the Strikers faced an early setback, losing two wickets. However, a crucial 70-run partnership between Najmul Hossain Shanto (39) and Yasir Ali (46) stabilised their chase. Leveraging this foundation, the Strikers comfortably chased down their target with 12 balls to spare.

As the BPL enters its playoff stage, action is set to commence on February 26th with a showdown between the Chattogram Challengers and Fortune Barishal, who finished third and fourth in the points table respectively. The winner of this match will progress to the second qualifier, while the loser will exit the tournament.

On the same day, Rangpur Riders will take on Comilla Victorians in the first qualifier. The victor of this encounter will advance directly to the final, while the losing team will face the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier, determining the second finalist who will compete on March 1st.