A gripping contest awaits

The second Qualifier of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League is upon us as Comilla Victorians clash against Chattogram Challengers at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

The winner of this virtual semifinal will then go on to face Shakib Al Hasan's Fortune Barishal in the final.

Comilla had the edge over Chattogram twice in the group stage earlier as they won by comprehensive margins of nine wickets and 52 runs, respectively.

However, Chattogram, despite being surrounded by controversies, peaked at the right time as a unit. In the Eliminator, they overcame the absence of their in-form opener Will Jacks to beat Khulna Tigers by seven runs, courtesy of Chadwick Walton's unbeaten 89-run.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz also shone with his all-round performance in that game while Mrittunjoy Chowdhury has been a trump card for them with 14 wickets in seven games, which has placed the young left-arm quick among the top five wicket-takers.

 "We are a young team and initially, we made some mistakes. But later, we realised and worked accordingly and eventually won three games in a row," Mrittunjoy told the media yesterday. 

 Comilla, on the other hand, get another shot at redemption after losing by ten runs in the first Qualifier despite restricting Barishal to a modest 143 runs.  

 Young opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy has been among the runs in the group stage. The Victorians can afford to bank on Faf Du Plessis and Moeen Ali, as the overseas players can be devastating on their day.

On bowling front, left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman is certain to lead the way. The 'Cutter Master', leading wicket-taker alongside Barishal's Dwayne Bravo with 17 scalps, will find able support in the spinning duo of Nahidul Islam and Tanvir Islam.